Lithuanian Defense Minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, has called on NATO countries to take a more serious approach in response to Russia’s airspace provocations, suggesting that military targets from Russia crossing NATO borders should be shot down, she said in a post on X on September 19.
Three russian fighter jets over Tallinn is one more hard proof that #EasternSentry is long due.
NATOs border in the North East is being tested for a reason.
We need to mean business.
PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago.
Some food for thought.
— Dovilė Šakalienė (@DSakaliene) September 19, 2025
“NATOs border in the North East is being tested for a reason. We need to mean business. PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago. Some food for thought,” Šakaliene remarked, referencing the downing of a Russian Su-24 by Turkey in 2015.
Her comments followed reports from Estonia about Russian fighter jets violating its airspace.
On September 19, three Russian MiG-31s breached Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo. The Estonian military reported that the jets remained in the airspace for about 12 minutes without transmitting flight plans or communicating with air traffic control.
In response, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador’s chargé d’affaires and delivered a formal protest note.
Russian authorities, however, claimed that the violation was part of a scheduled flight from Karelia to a base in Kaliningrad, and the jets passed more than three kilometers from Vaindloo.
The Estonian government had also previously initiated consultations under NATO’s Article 4 after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace, Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced on X.
He described the violation as “absolutely unacceptable.”
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