The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has promised to give a decisive response in case of violation of the air borders of the participating countries. This is stated in the statement of the North Atlantic Council following consultations held after the incident with fighters in the skies over Estonia.
"NATO's responseThe statement also stated that NATO will use "all necessary military and non-military tools for self-defense and deterrence of threats from all sides," TASS reports.
Earlier, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that Tallinn had requested consultations from NATO members in accordance with Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty in connection with the alleged violation of the country's air borders by Russian fighters. Prior to that, the Estonian authorities made a statement that on the morning of September 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighters invaded its airspace.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian fighters did not violate the air borders of Estonia. Three Russian MiG-31s, as indicated in the department, made a scheduled flight from Karelia to the Kaliningrad region. The flight took place in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace, without violating the borders of other states, which is confirmed by means of objective control, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed. During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed air route, the military department assured.