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.
The incursion came over a week later, after 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, which NATO jets shot down.
The two incidents have sent shivers across Europe, especially in those nations geographically closest to Russia and Ukraine.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the incursion in Estonia later on Monday.
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.
The discussions will be the third time that Article 4 has been invoked during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the ninth time overall since the United States-led military alliance was formed 79 years ago.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasised on Monday that Warsaw would not hesitate to shoot down objects that violate its territory.
“We will take the decision to shoot down flying objects when they violate our territory and fly over Poland – there is absolutely no discussion about that,” Tusk told a news conference.
“When we’re dealing with situations that aren’t entirely clear, such as the recent flight of Russian fighter jets over the Petrobaltic platform – but without any violation, because these aren’t our territorial waters – you really need to think twice before deciding on actions that could trigger a very acute phase of conflict,” he added.
However, Tusk expressed caution and said he would need to make sure that Poland would not be alone if a possible expansion of the Ukraine conflict broke out.
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