Lithuania summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Vilnius on Saturday to lodge a strong protest over the violation of Estonian airspace.
The Foreign Ministry said the protest also covered dangerous flights over an oil platform in Poland’s exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.
“Russia’s representative was told that Lithuania views these incidents as blatant breaches of international law that escalate tensions in the Baltic Sea region,” it said.
The ministry demanded that Russia take all necessary steps to prevent such provocations in the future.
Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission over the Gulf of Finland and remained there for 12 minutes.
Tallinn said the Russian pilots ignored NATO fighters responding to the intrusion. Estonia condemned these actions and requested NATO consultations under Article 4. Moscow denies violating the Baltic country’s airspace.
The incident in Estonia came just days after the conclusion of the active phase of the Zapad military exercise held by Russia and its ally Belarus.
Latvia’s Foreign Ministry also summoned a Russian diplomat on Saturday in a coordinated move by the Baltic states to show support for Estonia.
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