NATO was ready to 'use force' against Russia, Estonia says after airspace incursion
NATO's response to Russia's latest provocation demonstrated that the alliance is prepared to use force if necessary, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told Estonian media outlet ERR on Sept. 20.
The statement follows recent escalations of Russian provocations in NATO airspace.
"We saw on Friday that NATO is functioning very efficiently... even to the point that if we were truly forced to use the last resort, which is the use of force, then there was a readiness for that as well," he said.
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Sept. 19, remaining there for 12 minutes before departing.
Tallinn said the jets crossed without permission, while Moscow denied any violation.
Following the incursion, Estonia requested consultations under NATO's Article 4, which allows members to convene allies if they consider their security threatened.
Pevkur said Russia's provocations were aimed at shifting Western focus away from Ukraine.
"This is exactly what Russia wants — to divert our attention away from helping Ukraine, and to focus on our own backyard," he said. "That is a key goal behind these kinds of provocations."
The violations occurred amid rising tensions across NATO's eastern flank.
On the same day Russian jets violated Estonian airspace, Poland reported that Russian fighter jets had entered the security zone surrounding a Baltic Sea drilling platform.
On Sept. 10, Poland shot down Russian drones that had entered its airspace during an attack on Ukraine, marking the first direct NATO engagement against Russian military assets over alliance territory.
Warsaw responded by placing air defenses on high alert, temporarily closing its main airports, and requesting Article 4 consultations with NATO.
Romania reported a similar breach on Sept. 13, scrambling two F-16s after detecting a Russian drone crossing into its airspace during an attack on Ukrainian border infrastructure.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu said the country did not shoot down a Russian drone that entered Romanian airspace, as it eventually turned back to bomb Ukraine.
After the incidents, the alliance has launched its defensive Eastern Sentry mission.
Czech President Petr Pavel said on Sept. 20 that NATO needs to stay united and respond firmly to Russian provocations, including potentially military action.
President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said Russia's goal is to weaken NATO's resolve to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems.
