Russia stoops to ‘extensive testing’ of Europe’s patience with 3 missile-carrying jets, gets a swift answer in response

Three Russian MiG-31 jets recently violated Estonia’s airspace, a brazen move that was met with a swift response from Italian F-35s. The incident, which saw the jets fly back and forth for over 12 minutes, marks the fourth time this year that Russia has encroached on Estonia’s airspace, according to the country’s foreign minister. The situation escalated quickly as NATO sources confirmed the presence of the three jets, which were either carrying or capable of carrying high-speed Kinzhal ballistic missiles, before the Italian F-35s “pushed them out.”

According to Fox, this latest incursion is a massive escalation, as it’s the most blatant violation yet. Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, said that while previous incursions were “unacceptable,” this one was “unprecedentedly brazen.” He added that Russia’s “increasingly extensive testing of boundaries and growing aggressiveness must be met with a swift increase in political and economic pressure.”

This isn’t just a simple border crossing; it’s a clear and deliberate test of NATO’s resolve and a serious threat to a member country’s sovereignty. To be fair, this kind of thing has been happening a lot lately. Just days before this incident, Poland accused Russia of a similar violation with more than a dozen drones. The drones, which crossed into Polish territory from Belarus and Ukraine, were so serious that they led to temporary airport closures and even a scramble of NATO air defenses. Poland labeled the breach an “act of aggression” and invoked Article 4 consultations with NATO.

Russia is testing the grounds for something big

It makes a lot of sense that Estonia is now considering the same thing. Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty is a serious warning signal, allowing a member nation to request consultations with other allies if their “territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat.” It doesn’t automatically trigger a military response, like Article 5 does, but it’s a huge diplomatic and security move. It’s basically a way for a country to say this is a major problem, and they need to talk about it as a group.

The fact that both Poland and Estonia have either invoked or are considering invoking this article shows just how seriously NATO is taking these repeated and escalating incursions. The presence of the MiG-31 jets and the possibility that they were armed with Kinzhal missiles is also a huge deal. These are some of Russia’s most advanced and dangerous weapons, and flying them into a NATO country’s airspace is a direct challenge.

It’s one thing to have a military jet accidentally cross a border, but it’s a completely different situation when three of them do it with what could be nuclear-capable missiles. It shows a level of disregard for international norms that is both concerning and frankly, pretty scary.