RUSSIAN jets reportedly entered Estonia’s airspace today in a major escalation by Moscow.
Putin’s air forces flew over the NATO member’s territory today, sources told Reuters.
EPARussian MiG-31 fighter jets are equipped with hypersonic ballistic missiles[/caption]
APFighters pictured during the joint Russian-Belarusian military drill[/caption]
GettyThe planes reportedly flew over Vaindloo Island and stayed there for nearly 12 minutes[/caption]
Three MiG-31 jets entered the country’s airspace without clearance, the Estonian government has said.
Such jets are capable of carrying terrifying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
The planes reportedly flew over Vaindloo Island and stayed there for nearly 12 minutes.
While in Estonian airspace, the jets circled in the sky as though waiting for a response.
NATO allies scrambled Italian F-35s to repel the the Russian jets.
All three planes’ transponders were turned off at the time, according to reports.
Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires in the wake of the shameless incursion.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna said that Putin’s forces have already violated his country’s airspace four times this year.
He added: “But today’s incursion, involving three fighter aircraft entering our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen.
“Russia’s increasingly extensive testing of boundaries and growing aggressiveness must be met with a swift increase in political and economic pressure.”
It comes as the Kremlin continues to provoke NATO’s Eastern European members with airspace incursions.
Allies shot down several Russian drones when they entered Polish airspace last week.
Poland is another member state of NATO, an alliance that includes the US, Britain, France and Germany.
Under the terms of the treaty’s Article 5, if one member were under attack, all others would be obliged to go to war to support them.
But Warsaw instead chose to invoke Article 4, which brings together allies to discuss ongoing threats – and short of declaring war.
Putin subsequently deployed drones into Romania, prompting allies to scramble F-16s in response.
It comes as hopes of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine look ever distant.
A former head of MI6 has warned that Putin is “stringing us on” and does not want hostitilies to end.
Sir Richard Moore predicted the tyrant would only negotiate if he were backed into a corner and wanted to save his own skin.
Speaking in Istanbul, the former spy boss said: “I have seen absolutely no evidence that President Putin has any interest in a negotiated peace short of Ukrainian capitulation.”
US President Donald Trump famously vowed to bring the war in Ukraine to an end within 24 hours of taking office.
But the conflict continues to grind on nonetheless, and his threats to impose tough sanctions on Putin in response are yet to materialise.
During his state visit to Britain this week, the President said: “I thought this war would be one of the easiest to solve because of my relationship with Putin.
“But he has really let me down.”
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