UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Russian jet incursions over Estonia

By Nina Subkhanberdina, CNN

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss Russian incursions over Estonia’s airspace, Estonian and UN officials said Sunday.

Estonia requested the emergency meeting after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission on Friday. The jets remained for 12 minutes before being intercepted by NATO, according to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and an alliance spokesperson.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a post on X on Sunday that Russia’s actions “undermine principles vital to the security of all UN member states.”

“When such actions are committed by a permanent member of the Security Council, they must be addressed by that very body,” Tsahkna wrote.

According to the Estonian Foreign Ministry, the Security Council is expected to discuss what the ministry described as a “blatant, reckless, and flagrant violation of NATO airspace” and Russia’s “repeated violations of international law.”

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied its jets entered Estonian airspace, insisting the flights were conducted “in strict accordance with international rules.”

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, said the emergency meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. E.T. on Monday.

Ukraine has also submitted a request to attend the Security Council meeting and present its position. The request was directed to the Republic of Korea, which holds the rotating presidency of the council.

“For the first time in 34 years, Estonia has requested an emergency UNSC meeting,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “This shows the unprecedented scale of threats posed by aggressive Russia to the stability of Europe.”

Following the airspace violation, Estonia also has requested NATO Article 4 consultations, the mechanism which allows any member to formally bring an issue to the attention to the alliance’s principle political decision-making body. A meeting is due to take place this week.

Estonia is the second NATO member to have requested Article 4 consultations in recent days, following Poland’s request last week after several Russian drones and fighter jets entered its airspace.

Separately, Swedish and German forces reported on Sunday that Swedish JAS 39 Gripens and German Eurofighters were scrambled over the South Baltic Sea to identify and monitor a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying in international airspace without a flight plan or radio contact.

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