Russian Su-35 Violates Estonia’s Airspace for the First Time This Year

On Tuesday evening, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet violated Estonia’s airspace near the Juminda Peninsula.

According to the Estonian outlet ERR, the incident lasted less than a minute.

The fighter jet had no flight plan, and its transponder was turned off.

During the violation, the aircraft also lacked two-way radio communication with Estonia’s air traffic control service.

Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jets, stationed in Ämari as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission, responded swiftly to the incident.

They performed a reconnaissance flight.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia immediately summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Russian Embassy in Estonia and handed him a diplomatic note.

This was the first violation of Estonia’s airspace by a Russian aircraft this year.

Russian aviation regularly violates the airspace of NATO countries for several reasons, each with both military and political objectives.

Airspace violations are a way to test the response time of air defense, which aircraft are scrambled for interception, and how a country coordinates its actions with allies. Regular provocations also aim to create constant tension.

This allows Russia to gather intelligence on air defense systems, radar zones, and defense setup.

In February, a Russian Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft violated Poland’s airspace in the eastern part of the Gulf of Gdańsk. Additionally, in April of this year, a Russian military helicopter violated Poland’s airspace.