The Sukhoi Su-35 breached Estonia's airspace above the Juminda Peninsula area in the Gulf of Finland and flew inside it for less than a minute, a press release from the Estonian Defense Forces said.

No flight plan had been filed, the jet's transponders were turned off, and the pilot did not maintain two-way communication with Estonian air traffic control, it added.

Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jets deployed to Ämari as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission, responded to the incident and conducted a reconnaissance flight.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the charge d'affaires of the Russian Embassy in Estonia today and handed over a diplomatic note.

"From Estonia's perspective, this is a very serious and regrettable incident, which is not acceptable in any way," Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

On Thursday, he clarified that the incursion was made to protect a Russian shadow fleet vessel being escorted by the Estonian Navy after a failed attempt to stop the tanker.

During an interview with ERR, Chief of the Estonian Defense Forces' (EDF) Headquarters Gen. Vahur Karus said: "This is the first time that Russia has very actively taken what we might call a holding position towards one of these vessels."

At the same time, he acknowledged that, apart from the airspace violation, the Russian Air Force had otherwise acted professionally.

"There were no low-level fly-overs, but rather this patrol was kept over the ship at all times," he said on Thursday.

This is the first reported breach of Estonia's airspace for several years. Between 2014–2022, there were multiple violations each year.

Russian fighter jets often flew without prefiled flight plans, with their transponders turned off and without making contact with the Estonian authorities.

The planes still fly close to Estonia's airspace, causing allied jets to scramble in response from the NATO Air Policing Mission bases in Ämari and Lithuania.

This article was updated on Friday morning to add new details about the incident

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