Su-35 penetrated Estonian airspace: Tallinn summoned a Russian representative

This year, the Estonian air force intercepted a plane from Russia for the first time: the Su-35 flew in without permission, which caused a diplomatic reaction and the departure of NATO fighters from Emari.

On the evening of May 13, a Russian Su-35 entered Estonian airspace near the Juminda peninsula. Reports from the General Staff of the Estonian Ministry of Defense confirmed this. The plane was in the country’s airspace for less than a minute.

The plane did not have an approved route plan, the transponder was turned off, and communication with Estonian air traffic controllers was not established. Such actions threaten the safety of civil flights and violate international norms.

The incident was quickly responded to by F-16 fighters of the Portuguese Air Force, which are based at the Emari air base and carry out the NATO mission of patrolling the Baltic airspace. They conducted a reconnaissance flight to clarify the circumstances of the violation.

In response to the incident, the Estonian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian embassy’s charge d’affaires and expressed an official protest. The head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Margus Tsahkna, noted that the incident was “serious and unacceptable.”

This is the first time Russian military aircraft have violated Estonian airspace in 2025.

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Estonia and other Baltic states have significantly intensified cooperation with NATO. The Alliance has multinational military formations in the region, patrolling the airspace and responding to potential threats.