On Wednesday, March 18, a Su-30 fighter jet from the Russian Federation’s armed forces entered Estonian airspace without permission. The incident occurred over the Gulf of Finland, near the small island of Vayndloo, when the Russian aircraft did not respond to local air traffic controllers’ requests and failed to provide a flight plan. The aircraft remained in Estonian airspace for about one minute.
This is reported by Finway
“The fighter jet was in Estonian airspace for about a minute. There was no flight plan, the media noted. Moreover, the crew of the fighter jet remained silent and did not respond to the controllers’ requests.”
NATO Actions and Estonian Government Response
The violation was quickly addressed at the NATO airbase in Ämari, located 100 km from the incident site. An Italian fighter jet was scrambled from there to escort the Su-30, operating within the North Atlantic Alliance’s mission. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the temporary chargé d’affaires of the Russian Federation for a discussion and handed him a note of protest.
This violation was the first in 2026. It is estimated that in 2025, Russian military aircraft illegally crossed Estonia’s air border four times.
Vayndloo Island, over which the Su-30 flew, is located 25 km from the Estonian coast and has an area of 0.062 sq. km. It is a small rock in the Gulf of Finland. Experts note that if a missile were launched from this area, it could reach Tallinn in a matter of seconds.
Previous Incidents and Rising Tensions
Similar incidents have occurred before. In September 2025, three MiG-31 fighter jets equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes. At that time, NATO aircraft escorted them to a safe zone, and the route of the Russian planes led to Kaliningrad.
In March 2026, information emerged about a possible hybrid attack by Russia on Narva. According to Western media, the Kremlin is spreading propaganda about the creation of a so-called “Narva People’s Republic,” using scenarios similar to events in Ukraine in 2014. Meanwhile, Estonian intelligence services emphasize that there is currently no threat, but the situation is under control.
Additionally, in February of this year, it was reported about NATO’s European Command exercises modeling possible scenarios of a Russian invasion of the Baltic countries under the guise of a humanitarian mission. In particular, scenarios for an attack on Lithuania and the Suwalki Corridor were practiced.
Recall that in the summer of 2025, analysts were already assessing the likelihood of similar provocations and possible scenarios of Moscow’s actions regarding the Baltic countries.