Estonia summoned the Russian charge d’affaires at Moscow's embassy in Tallinn on Sept. 8 after a Russian MI-8 helicopter violated Estonian airspace over the Baltic Sea, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on X.
The incident, which Tsahkna said was the third of its kind in 2025, occurred near Vaindloo Island, located approximately 28 km north of Estonia's mainland in the Gulf of Finland.
The airspace violation lasted about four minutes on Sept. 7, according to the press service of Estonia's Defence Forces. The helicopter had neither its transponder turned on nor a flight plan.
The incident adds to a series of aerial provocations reported by NATO allies since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as Moscow is suspected of using the aircraft to spy on the alliance's positions.
Russian aircraft often fly without using transponders, failing to file flight plans, and do not establish contact with regional air traffic control — a pattern that NATO officials have long described as high-risk behavior.
European allies have repeatedly warned that Russia's ongoing aerial provocations could lead to a dangerous escalation if not firmly countered.
In previous incidents, Russian aircraft have taken off from Kaliningrad, headed west toward international airspace near Poland, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.
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