Russian Plane Conducts Observation Flight
A Russian Antonov AN-30 observation aircraft will be seen over Estonia today, snapping photographs for aerial cartography purposes.
But officials have assured the public that the fly-over is not an illegal spy mission, but actually quite legal under a regional Open Skies agreement. Open Skies is a policy convention by which aviation rules are liberalized between states for regulatory, economic or political quid pro quo.
The Antonov AN-30 was developed by the Soviets in the 1970s for map-making projects. The same plane that flew over Tartu yesterday is expected overhead, above Estonia, again today.
Open Skies agreements under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) allow states in the region to conduct observation flights over other countries. Estonia signed the Open Skies Agreement in 2005.
"Above all, our neighbors would be interested in the Estonian Defense Forces military targets," Lt. Col. Toomas Boltowsky told ETV. "But also, to a certain extent, infrastructure."
After the flight, the photographed images are made available to Estonian military officials. The Open Skies Agreement does not allow clandestine or restrictive flight missions.
The Open Skies Agreement grants Estonia the right to four observation flights per year, but each object country can only be flown over once per year.
Estonia conducted an observation flight over Russia this past June, in conjunction with Sweden and the United States.