Russia provokes Estonia by violating its airspace.
Estonia has accused Russia of violating its airspace by helicopter, in a very provocative move ahead of a major NATO summit.
The Baltic state, a member of the NATO alliance, also said that ongoing Russian military exercises are simulating missile strikes against its country every day.
“This is a threat… It has never been as serious as it is now,” Kusti Salm, Estonia’s top civil servant at the Estonian Ministry of Defense, was quoted as saying.
The hostile activity came as Russia is also in an exchange of accusations with Lithuania, another Baltic state and a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime, over a Vilnius decision to block the rail transit of certain goods sanctioned on Russian territory. of Kaliningrad.
It also comes just days before the heads of state and government of the 30-member NATO alliance meet for a historic summit in Madrid, where they will present plans for a “fundamental overhaul” of their defense in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Estonia said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to Tallinn to protest on the flight path of the MI-8 border guard helicopter, which said it entered Estonian airspace for two minutes – without permission – on Saturday evening.
The incident took place in the southern area of Koidula, not far from the Russian city of Pskov, according to a statement from the Estonian army.
And Salm said there had been “numerous helicopter border violations” by Russia over the past week.
As further stated, Russia is also conducting military exercises involving simulation of missile attacks on its Baltic neighbor.
