NATO activated its jets to intercept three Russian warplanes over Estonia as tensions rise, with Russia starting to threaten Finland in a manner similar to its pre-war actions against Ukraine, potentially laying the foundation for a future invasion.

The alliance quickly responded by deploying its aircraft to deter the Russian planes that intruded into its member’s airspace amid escalating tensions on its eastern borders.

This incident coincides with Russia’s mounting threats to Finland, a NATO member, through a disinformation campaign that mirrors tactics used by the Kremlin to justify its Ukraine invasion in February 2022.

Recently, top Kremlin officials have been verbally attacking Finland, seemingly setting the stage for possible aggression, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

Russia’s latest airspace violations occurred shortly after its unprecedented incursions into Polish and Romanian territories, prompting strong condemnation from NATO and reinforcing the alliance’s commitment to countering such provocations.

NATO member Estonia said on Friday the three MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace without permission and stayed there for a total of 12 minutes.

Alliance duty warplanes – Italian F-35s – were scrambled to repel the Russian war planes. 

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna remarked, ‘This year, Russia has breached Estonian airspace four times already, an unacceptable act made more egregious today by the brazen intrusion of three fighter jets.’

‘Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure.’

Estonia said it had made a protest to the top Russian diplomat in the country.

NATO spokesperson Alison Hart said: ‘Earlier today, Russian jets violated Estonian airspace. NATO responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft. 

‘This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond.’ 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said: ‘Ukraine stands with Estonia in the face of Russia’s reckless intimidation. 

‘I agree with my Estonian friend @Tsahkna that half-measures are no longer enough.

‘Russia must face crushing political and economic pressure. As long as it doesn’t get a really strong response, Moscow will only get more arrogant and aggressive.

‘It’s time to put an end to Putin’s sense of impunity.’

It comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed on September 18 the Finnish government’s ‘neutral veneer peeled off’ and revanchism is ‘literally on the rise’.

Sergei Ivanov, special presidential envoy for the environment and transport, said Russian-Finnish relations ‘practically do not exist’ and are unlikely to improve given the fact that Finland is a NATO member and is ‘actively calling for strengthening [its] eastern border’. 

The Finnish government is planning on flooding its borders to transform them into defensive swampland, making it impossible for Russian tanks to attack as any advance would be prevented by their heavy vehicles sinking into swampland.

Poland is also considering the measure, which proved crucial in Ukraine when the military deliberately flooded 2,800 hectares of land in a desperate attempt to stave off the Russian troops advancing towards Kyiv at the beginning of the war. 

Finland joined the defensive Western alliance NATO in April 2023 after Putin triggered the biggest war on the European continent since World War Two. The nation also faced invasion from the Soviet Union in 1939.

In further denigrating comments, Ivanov said the Finnish population was unsatisfied with the government’s performance, and claimed the lack of Russian tourism had led to depopulation and a faltering economy in southeastern Finland.

His sentiment was echoed by the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Chepa, who blamed Finland’s NATO membership for why Russians have stopped buying property and visiting the Nordic country.

The fact that the Kremlin newswire TASS and other Russian state media outlets echoed the comments of the senior politicians suggests their messages are part of a top-down Kremlin-coordinated campaign to delegitimise Finland.

Disturbingly, the rhetoric used by the ministers directly mirrors the Kremlin’s dubious justifications used to preempt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the ISW warned.  

The verbal attacks follow the president of Finland’s warm welcoming of NATO’s new ‘Eastern Sentry’ mission to reinforce its eastern flank following mounting aggression from Russia.

NATO members and allies have spoken out in support of Estonia, including EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas. 

She wrote on X: ‘Today’s violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation.

‘This marks the third such violation of EU airspace in days and further escalates tensions in the region.

‘The EU stands in full solidarity with Estonia. I am in close contact with the Estonian government.

‘We will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources. Putin is testing the West’s resolve. 

‘We must not show weakness.’

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen connected the incident to the need for a new package of sanctions against Russia proposed earlier today. 

‘Europe stands with Estonia in the face of Russia’s latest violation of our airspace,’ she said. 

‘We will respond to every provocation with determination while investing in a stronger Eastern flank. As threats escalate, so too will our pressure.

‘I call on EU leaders to swiftly approve our 19th sanctions package.’

Meanwhile, European Council president Antonio Costa wrote on X: ‘The European Union stands firmly in solidarity with [Estonia].

‘Today’s violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian military aircraft is another unacceptable provocation.

‘It underscores yet again the urgent need to reinforce our Eastern flank, deepen European defence cooperation, and intensify pressure on Russia.

‘We will address our collective response to Russia’s actions at the informal European Council meeting in Copenhagen on 1 October.’

Kęstutis Budrys, foreign minister of nearby fellow NATO member Lithuania, also weighed in on the incident in Estonia. 

‘Russia directly threatens Euroatlantic security and tests NATO’s limits,’ he said. 

‘Today, 3 Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace. These provocations will only escalate until the Alliance fully transforms Baltic air policing into Baltic air defence, rotational air defense models become a reality and Eastern Sentry comes up and running 24/7.

‘These are not accidents. The Alliance is being tested militarily. We must sharpen NATO’s posture to the point where no one dares to test our deterrence. 

‘#Lithuania stands in full solidarity with our ally #Estonia.’

Petr Fiala, prime minister of Czechia, also a NATO member, warned: ‘Russia is further escalating tensions on NATO’s eastern border and testing how far it can go.’ 

Imploring the alliance to ‘resolutely strengthen our defence capabilities’, he continued: ‘The violation of Estonian airspace demonstrates the aggression of Putin’s regime.’ 

Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson similarly called it ‘highly concerning’: ‘This incident, like other recent Russian violations of NATO countries’ airspace, once again illustrates the seriousness of the Russian threat to European security and the fact that our and NATO’s readiness is constantly being tested.

‘The Swedish Air Force maintains a standing quick reaction alert to handle incidents such as this. 

‘As a NATO member, Sweden stands in solidarity with our allies and contributes to security in our region.’

German foreign minister Johann Wadephul quoted words thought to be from American founding father Thomas Jefferson: ‘Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.’ 

He wrote on X: ‘This principle of NATO has lost none of its relevance. 

‘The unacceptable violation of Estonian airspace by Russia today demonstrates this with utmost clarity. 

‘I have assured my colleague @Tsahkna of Germany’s full solidarity. 

‘By immediately intercepting the Russian aircraft, we demonstrate: The @NATO is always ready to defend.’ 

A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Tallinn said in May that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a ‘shadow fleet’ defying Western sanctions on Moscow. 

According to domestic media, the war planes lacked two-way radio communication with Estonian air traffic control and had no flight plans. 

So far, the ‘Eastern Sentry’ operation includes the deployment of two F-16 fighter jets and a frigate from Denmark, three Rafale fighter jets from France and four Eurofighter jets from Germany. 

‘We’re very happy that the Eastern Sentry now begins in Polish airspace. We take lessons learned from there and then expand it all the way up to the high North,’ Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a press conference this week with his Latvian counterpart.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also been fortifying their borders, adding obstacles and redoubts to existing fences in response to fears about a potential World War III triggered by Putin’s military ambitions.

When complete, the Baltic defence line is estimated to be more than 940 miles long and will limit Russia’s ability to launch attacks from its own territory, Kaliningrad and Belarus.

Between 19 and 23 drones entered Polish airspace on September 9 in an unprecedented intrusion of the country’s territory, with NATO scrambling a multinational force of jets to shoot several down. 

In the wake of the incursion, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the West is at its closest to open conflict since World War Two

Romania then accused Russia of breaching its airspace on September 13, as Latvia reported a drone crashing in its east. 

On Monday, Poland said a civilian drone flew over its presidential palace and government buildings, describing the incident as another ‘provocation’. A Belarusian and a Ukrainian were arrested.

Meanwhile, Putin has put NATO further on edge by conducting war games with Belarus as part of the Zapad 2025 drills, which have historically been used to test different military strategies ahead of invasions.

Long a staunch Russian ally, President Alexander Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarus to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and has since allowed Russia to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

The exercises, which began on September 12 and concluded on Wednesday, unnerved neighbouring countries, with Poland temporarily closing its border with Belarus and deploying some 40,000 troops there in anticipation of hostility. 

In Finland, there are some obvious locations that could be considered for restoring the nation’s swampland as a defensive measure, such as swathes of land drained for forestry that failed to grow any trees. 

Peatlands are unique ecosystems that naturally store large amounts of carbon dioxide. But if drained, they exude centuries’ worth of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing towards global warming. 

That’s why the bloc is prioritising restoring 30 percent of degraded peatlands over the next five years, and 50 percent by 2050 – to slow climate change, promote biodiversity, and now, ready border nations for potential war.

NATO jets recently intercepted two Russian SU-30 warplanes carrying supersonic missiles over the Baltic Sea. 

The Swedish Airforce announced that its JAS 39 Gripen fighters, backed by Danish F-16s, intercepted two Russian combat aircraft believed to be armed with KH-31 missiles – a supersonic anti-radiation weapon designed to destroy ships and air defences units.

An Il-20 signals intelligence aircraft was also identified in the joint mission and swiftly escorted away.