Estonian Defense Ministry: Russia simulates missile strikes on NATO country
A Russian border helicopter MI-8 violated the airspace of Estonia, a member of NATO, and was there almost two minutes. According to ERR, the incident occurred on June 18 in the Koidula region in the southeast of the country. The violation of space occurred before the big summit of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the incident, Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and given a note. The channel claims that the Russian helicopter did not have a flight plan. His transponder was off. Also, the pilot did not have two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. – This is an extremely serious and unfortunate incident from the point of view of Estonia, which will undoubtedly cause additional tension and is by no means acceptable, – commented in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country. Journalists emphasized that the incident in the Koidula region was the second violation of the Estonian air border by Russians during this year. In the past, Russian aircraft have committed 5 such violations. Bloomberg, in turn, reported that Russian troops are also conducting exercises near the Estonian border, simulating daily missile attacks on the country. In this regard, the Estonian Ministry of Defense warns of an escalation of tension between the Kremlin and the NATO state. – It has never been as serious as it is now. This is real life. They actually imitate missile strikes on NATO territory and let us know that they are informing us about it, – said the representative of the Estonian Foreign Ministry. Deputy Secretary of State of the department Rein Tammsaar, in turn, called on the Russian Federation to withdraw troops from Ukraine and stop war. He also expressed solidarity with Lithuania against the background of the blockade of the Kaliningrad region, noting that it is implementing the decision of the fourth package of sanctions of the European Union. Tammsaap stressed that the Russian Federation must stop threatening its neighbors and understand that its own aggression against Ukraine is costly.
