Estonian Government to request NATO Article 4 consultations

Estonian Government to request NATO Article 4 consultations

Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that Estonia is seeking Article 4 consultations in response to Russia’s provocations.

“Such a violation is completely unacceptable, and NATO’s response to any provocation must be united and strong. We consider it essential to consult with our Allies to ensure shared situational awareness and to agree on our next joint steps. The entire Alliance is treating this incident seriously,” the Prime Minister said.

“The border violation took place over the Gulf of Finland. Russian fighter jets remained in Estonian airspace for a total of 12 minutes,” Michal explained. “The situation was under control. NATO fighters responded, and the Russian aircraft were forced to withdraw,” he added.

The Russian aircraft entered Estonian airspace from the northeast. Over the Gulf of Finland, they were intercepted by Finnish jets. Once inside Estonian airspace, Italian Air Force F-35s deployed at Ämari under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission took over and escorted the Russian aircraft out of Estonian airspace. The Russian planes had no flight plans, their transponders were switched off, and at the time of the violation they also lacked two-way radio communication with Estonian air traffic control.

According to the Prime Minister, such a provocative act by Russia shows that the war of aggression launched by the Kremlin’s rulers in Ukraine is not proceeding as planned. “The aim is to draw attention and assistance away from Ukraine by forcing NATO countries to focus more on the defence of their own territories,” Michal said.