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Estonia Demands Explanation Over Russian Spy Plane


Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, far right, listens to counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier from Germany, second from right, at Baltic regional security meeting, Tallinn, June 17, 2014.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, far right, listens to counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier from Germany, second from right, at Baltic regional security meeting, Tallinn, June 17, 2014.

Estonia has summoned the Russian ambassador after a Russian spy plane entered the Baltic country’s airspace without permission.

A spokeswoman for the Estonian Foreign Ministry said the Baltic country considers the violation serious and “demands an explanation” from the ambassador.

The spokeswoman said Estonia wants to know why a Russian Ilyushin-20 surveillance aircraft crossed into its airspace Tuesday afternoon.

NATO says the Russian aircraft was in Estonian airspace for about a minute.

NATO says it scrambled Danish and Portuguese F-16s from an air base in the Baltics after an unknown aircraft appeared on radar.

Danish fighter jets intercepted and identified the Russian plane.

The Russian aircraft reportedly flew from Russia’s Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

After it was intercepted by the Danish fighter jets, the plane flew north and was intercepted by Swedish F-16s.

NATO says when the Russian spy plane turned south it crossed into Estonian airspace.

Portuguese F-16s were then scrambled from an air base in Lithuania and escorted the Russian plane away from NATO airspace.

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