Estonia declares readiness to shoot down Russian planes in case of threat
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna emphasized that the country is prepared to shoot down Russian aircraft and open fire in the event of an invasion.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by RMF24.
He noted that Estonia is ready to respond decisively to potential aggression from Russia and that Moscow should have no doubts about this.
In case of aggression, the response will be immediate.
Tsahkna added that Estonian services are closely monitoring the situation at the border, especially near the city of Narva, which is considered Russia's first likely target in the event of aggression.
"Let me be clear: if the 'little green men' ever cross our border, we will shoot at them. The consequences will be obvious, there is no question about that. If Russia is not sure that we will really react, they may test us," said the Estonian Foreign Minister.
He added that the same applies to violations of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets, recalling the incident on September 19.
"If we see that Russian fighter jets pose a threat to our security, we will shoot them down. This is a red line, and Putin must remember this. He must know that this is NATO territory and that the consequences of aggression will not go unpunished," Tsahkna emphasized.
The minister also stressed that Europe "absolutely cannot trust Putin," and this is especially true for countries that share a border with Russia.
Provocations by the Russian Federation in Estonia
In 2025, several violations of Estonian airspace were recorded. In particular, drone flights were recorded over Lake Peipsi near the border, as well as incidents involving Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entering Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland.
- Drone incident (August 2025): Estonian border guards twice recorded a drone flying over Lake Peipsi, and then the drone crashed six kilometers from the Estonian border, already on Russian territory.
- Incident involving fighter jets (September 2025): Three Russian MiG-31s entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland, flying for about 12 minutes. Italian F-35 fighter jets based in Estonia were scrambled to intercept them.
Estonia responds to such violations by scrambling fighter jets, although Russia denies the violations, claiming that the planes were flying over neutral waters.
