Russia accuses Estonia of airspace incursion falsity to stoke tensions

Russia has forcefully rejected claims that its military jets violated Estonia’s airspace last week, accusing Tallinn of having no evidence to support its assertion, as deep-seated concerns rise about whether Moscow’s war in Ukraine will spill over into neighbouring European countries.

When asked about Estonia’s allegation on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused the Baltic nation of making up false claims.

“We never heard in the Estonian statement that they have objective monitoring data [to back up their claim],” Peskov told reporters.

“That is why we consider such words to be empty, unfounded and a continuation of a completely reckless pattern of escalating tensions and provoking a confrontational atmosphere,” he added.

The Russian Ministry of Defence also denied the accusation and said its pilots continuously operated in line with international law, Peskov said.

On Friday, NATO member Estonia reported that three Russian MiG-31 jets had entered its airspace for 12 minutes before they were forced to withdraw.

Russia-Poland tensions

NATO members’ representatives will also meet on Tuesday to discuss the incident and Article 4 of the alliance’s charter, which outlines that all member states will hold consultations if any of the parties feel their “territorial integrity, political independence, or security” has been threatened.