UNITED NATIONS (Chatnewstv.com) — Estonia’s foreign minister accused Russia on Monday of deliberately violating the country’s airspace with armed fighter jets and then lying about it, urging the international community to step up pressure on Moscow.
“Russia not only violated Estonian airspace but also blatantly lied about it, once again revealing its true nature,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told the U.N. Security Council in New York.
He said three armed Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonia’s skies on Sept. 19 in the fourth such incident this year, but this time deeper and longer than before.
“They remained in our skies for 12 minutes, penetrating up to 10 kilometers deep and covering nearly 100 kilometers inside our sovereign territory,” Tsahkna said. “Regardless of what Russia claims, these are harsh facts based on solid evidence.”
Tsahkna called the incursion “a blatant and reckless violation of Estonia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the U.N. Charter and international law.”
The minister added that Russia’s actions extended beyond Estonia. “This is part of a broader pattern of Russian actions, which includes its war of aggression against Ukraine now in its fourth year, and the violation of the borders of NATO member states,” he said, citing drone incidents in Poland and Romania.
“Russia’s dangerous conduct cannot and must not be tolerated, as it would … set an extremely dangerous precedent, encouraging further aggression, increasing regional and global tensions and ultimately jeopardizing peace and security around the world,” Tsahkna said.
He urged the U.N. and its members to “apply maximum pressure on Russia to bring about a just and lasting peace in Ukraine” and hold Moscow accountable for war crimes and violations of international law.
Tsahkna said 50 countries and the European Union joined Estonia’s statement in New York.
