【Text by Observer Net, Chen Sijia】 Recently, NATO member states such as Poland and Estonia have accused Russian aircraft of "infringing" on their airspace, escalating the tension between NATO and Russia. According to Reuters on September 22, Polish Prime Minister Tusk stated that Poland would "unhesitatingly" shoot down objects that intrude into Polish airspace and pose a threat, but would also be cautious when the situation is unclear.

Tusk said at a press conference: "When an aerial object infringes our airspace and flies over Poland, we will shoot them down, there is absolutely no room for discussion. When we face unclear situations, such as Russian fighter jets recently flying over the Baltic Sea oil platforms - which are not our territorial waters, so they do not constitute an infringement - we will carefully consider whether to take actions that could escalate the conflict."

Tusk said he also needs to determine whether Poland can receive support from NATO allies if the conflict escalates, "I need to be absolutely certain... all allies will deal with this issue in exactly the same way as us."

Photo from video of Polish Prime Minister Tusk

On September 10, Poland announced that it had shot down a Russian drone that "invaded" its airspace, and Tusk called it an "unprecedented provocation." CNN reported that this marked the first time since the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2022 that a NATO member state directly engaged with Russian assets in its airspace, signaling a significant escalation of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

In response to Poland's accusations, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on the 10th that during the air strikes on Ukraine, the Russian military had no plan to attack targets within Poland, and was willing to discuss the issue with the Polish Defense Ministry.

Russian President's Press Secretary Peskov denied the accusation of "provocation," stating, "The leadership of the EU and NATO accuse Russia of provocation every day, but most of the time, they haven't even tried to present some kind of argument."

On September 19, the Estonian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets "entered Estonian airspace without permission," staying for as long as 12 minutes before leaving. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Chahkna called it a "serious and unacceptable provocation," and Estonia will request more air defense systems from its allies.

The Polish border guard also reported on the 19th that two Russian fighter jets "violated the safety zone of the Baltic Sea oil platforms," "the departments responsible for Polish security will continue to monitor the areas around key maritime infrastructure, including regions outside of Polish territorial waters."

Estonian diplomat Jonatan Vseviov claimed on the 22nd: "We have irrefutable evidence of this. Not only us, but our allies also have this evidence. It is one thing for Russia to provoke and dangerously enter the airspace of NATO countries, and another thing for them to openly lie to the whole world."

Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Zelensky supported Estonia on social media, accusing Russia of taking "unacceptable destabilizing measures." Zelensky said, "Strong action is needed, either through joint actions or individual actions by countries."

Russia denied the relevant accusations. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on September 20, stating that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew from Karelia to an airport in Kaliningrad Oblast on September 19 according to plan, strictly complying with the International Airspace Use Rules, did not violate the airspace of other countries, and this was confirmed by objective monitoring equipment.

The Russian Defense Ministry also emphasized that during the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the pre-arranged route and did not violate Estonian airspace. The route was set in the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers away from Windlo Island.

Peskov said on the 22nd that Russia considered the statements about "Russia infringing on other countries' airspace" baseless, "their purpose is to continue to escalate tensions and create an atmosphere of confrontation."

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552894902158246426/

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