UN Security Council to meet over Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace
The U.N. Security Council will convene on Sept. 22 to discuss Russia's recent breach of Estonian airspace over the Baltic Sea, Estonia's Foreign Ministry announced on Sept. 21.
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.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry called the incident a "blatant, reckless, and flagrant violation" in a social media post announcing the Security Council meeting.
"This incursion into Estonian airspace is yet another dangerous act aimed at escalating regional and global tensions, as Russia — a permanent member of the UN Security Council —continues its war of aggression against Ukraine," the ministry wrote.
"Russia’s reckless and aggressive actions, and its repeated violations of international law and the principles of the U.N. Charter, require a strong and united international response."
This marks the first time in over 30 years that Estonia has requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
Ukraine has submitted a request to South Korea, which currently holds the Security Council presidency, to attend the meeting and present its perspectives on the issue, Foreign Minsiter Andrii Sybiha said.
"We support friendly Estonia in calling for a strong and united response to Russia's continued destabilization of international peace and security," he said.
The Security Council held an emergency meeting earlier this month after a swarm of Russian drones breached Polish airspace during a mass attack against Ukraine on Sept. 10. Poland shot down three Russian drones, the first time NATO has directly engaged Russian military assets since the full-scale war began.
The incident led NATO to launch its Eastern Sentry operation to bolster defenses along the Alliance's eastern flank.
The drone incursion in Poland was followed by a series of other provocations in NATO airspace.
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. 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.
NATO scrambled two Eurofighter jets over the Baltic Sea on Sept. 21 after a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft was detected flying without a filed flight plan, the German Delegation to NATO reported.
Both Warsaw and Tallinn invoked NATO's Article 4 after the airspace violations, requesting consultations with member states regarding the security threat.
