February 18, 2026

Estonia Watch

Russian jets violating Estonia airspace ignored NATO warning, officials say – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser September 22, 2025

Russian jets violating Estonia airspace ignored NATO warning, officials say – National– globalnews.ca
Source Link
Excerpt:

Russian pilots ignored signals from Italian jets responding from NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission when they violated Estonian airspace, a senior Estonian military official said Saturday.

The 12-minute incursion was the latest test of the alliance’s ability to respond to Russian airborne threats after around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on Sept. 10.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday denied its aircraft flew into Estonia’s airspace, after Tallinn reported three fighter jets crossed into its territory on Friday without permission.

Estonian officials dismissed the denial, saying the violation was confirmed by radar and visual contact and suggested it could be a tactic to draw Western resources away from Ukraine.

The Russian MIG-31 fighters entered Estonian airspace between 9:58 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. local time Friday in the area of Vaindloo, a small island located in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, the Estonian military said. A ministry statement said it was the fourth airspace violation by Russia this year.

Estonia Accuses Russia of Trying to Overthrow its Government with Armed Militants

pgnewser May 29, 2025

Estonian authorities are claiming to have stopped a plot among pro-Moscow politicians working in collision with Russian military intelligence to build a pro-Russian militant group to overthrow the government. State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas alleges Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency was behind the operation.

Estonia says Russia-backed armed group aimed to overthrow gov’t – TVP World
Source Link
Excerpt:

Estonian authorities say they have uncovered a plot in which local pro-Moscow politicians allegedly collaborated with Russian military intelligence to create a paramilitary unit aimed at toppling the government in Tallinn.

State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said the plot involved Aivo Peterson, a leader of Estonia’s pro-Kremlin Russian minority party Koos (Together), alongside other party figures such as Eduard Fedotov and Julia Smoli.

The three, together with another suspect named Dmitri Rootsi, allegedly began organizing a civil defense unit in 2022 structured to mirror the Estonian military.

According to Olev-Aas, the operation was backed by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, which has come under increased European scrutiny since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.