BRUSSELS, September 23. /TASS/. NATO did not detect an "immediate threat" from Russian fighter jets that allegedly violated Estonian airspace, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at a press conference.
"In the latest airspace violation we discussed today, in Estonia, the NATO forces promptly intercepted and escorted the aircraft without escalation, as no immediate threat was assessed," Rutte pointed out.
Rutte added that the fighter jets, which allegedly entered the Baltic country's airspace, were escorted by Swedish, Finnish, and Italian army aircraft.
Earlier, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that the country’s authorities had requested consultations with NATO members in accordance with Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty regarding the alleged airspace violation. Prior to that, the Estonian authorities asserted that, on the morning of September 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace.
In turn, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that Russian MiG-31 fighter jets did not breach Estonian airspace. According to the ministry, the jets carried out a scheduled flight from Karelia to the Kaliningrad Region. In a statement, the ministry said the flight was conducted in strict accordance with international airspace rules, without crossing the borders of other states, which is confirmed by objective monitoring. During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed route and did not violate Estonian airspace, the ministry emphasized.