U.N. Security Council to meet after Russian jets reportedly fly into Estonian airspace

The U.N. Security Council will meet Monday to discuss Russia’s reported violation of Estonian airspace late last week, Estonian officials said, as outrage grows across the West over another Moscow incursion into NATO airspace.

The Kremlin denied that its fighter jets violated Estonian airspace last Friday. But Estonia, a NATO member, said those Russian planes were in Estonian skies for 12 minutes.

The incident came on the heels of at least 20 Russian drones violating Polish airspace earlier this month. NATO military assets shot down some of those Russian drones, marking the first time in the history of the transatlantic alliance that it engaged enemy targets in European skies.

Monday’s meeting of the U.N. Security Council comes as the international body opens its widely anticipated annual General Assembly meeting in New York City, with Russia’s alleged violations of European airspace and growing Russia-NATO tensions set to be key issues of discussion.

Estonian media said that Monday will be the first time Estonia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

“On Sept. 19, three armed Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes — violating Estonia’s territorial integrity and breaching the U.N. Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force,” Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement. “By openly violating our airspace, Russia is undermining principles that are essential to the security of all U.N. member states. It is therefore crucial that such actions — especially when committed by a permanent member of the Security Council — are addressed within this very body.”

Russia, along with the U.S., Britain, France and China, is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and can exercise its veto power to block any significant actions.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied that its planes violated Estonian airspace.

“On Sept. 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets made a scheduled flight from Karelia to an airfield in the Kaliningrad Region. The flight was conducted in strict accordance with international airspace rules, without violating the borders of other states, which is confirmed by objective monitoring,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to Russian state-run media. “During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed flight path and did not violate Estonian airspace. The aircraft’s flight path lay over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers from the island of Vaindloo.”

But the incident sparked outrage across NATO. In its own statement late Saturday, the U.S. Mission to NATO acknowledged the incident and pledged to protect alliance territory.

“We strongly condemn Russia’s violation of Estonia’s airspace. We stand firmly with our Estonian Allies and will resolutely defend all NATO territory,” the U.S. Mission posted on X.