On September 19 local time, the Estonian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying, "Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission, and this incident occurred over the Gulf of Finland, with the fighters staying for as long as 12 minutes." The Russian side denied this.

One of the three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that were captured by Swedish military footage "leaving Estonian airspace" Swedish Air Force

Regarding this incident, the Estonian Foreign Minister made a statement on social media "X," saying, "Three Russian MiG-31 aircraft violated the (Estonian) airspace over the Gulf of Finland, and NATO fighters responded quickly... This is a serious and unacceptable provocation. Estonia has requested NATO to consult on 'Article Four.'"

According to the introduction, Estonia is one of the NATO member states, and "Article Four" refers to Article Four of the North Atlantic Treaty: when any contracting party considers its territorial integrity, political independence, or security to be threatened, all contracting parties should jointly consult.

In response to Estonia's accusations, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on the morning of the 20th, stating that the Russian Air Force had three MiG-31 fighter jets flying from Karelia to an airport in Kaliningrad Oblast on September 19 according to plan, and this flight strictly complied with the "International Rules for the Use of Airspace," did not infringe on the airspace of other countries, and was confirmed by objective monitoring equipment.

The Russian Defense Ministry also emphasized that during the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the previously agreed route, nor did they infringe on Estonian airspace. The route was set along the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers away from Vindlo Island.

It is worth noting that due to the incident of "Russian drones entering Poland," the situation on the eastern flank of NATO has already become tense. On the evening of September 9, there were drones entering Polish airspace, and the Polish military carried out an emergency response and shot down some of the drones. The Polish government accused these drones of coming from Russia, while Russia stated that the claims by the Polish side were unfounded. NATO Secretary General Rasmussen announced on the 12th that NATO would launch a military operation called "Eastern Sentinel" to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and defense posture on the eastern flank.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer, and it is prohibited to reproduce it without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7551959939414049323/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author, and we welcome you to express your opinion by clicking the 【Like/Dislike】 button below.