Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča
Remarks to the Security Council
On Threats to International Peace and Security
New York, 22 September 2025
Mr. President,
In a letter dated 20 September 2025 addressed to the President of the Security Council, the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations informed that, on 19 September, three Russian MIG-31 fighters entered up to 10 kilometers inside Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes, in violation of Estonian airspace.
The United Nations is not in a position to confirm any of the claims made regarding the incident and does not have any further details of the events. This briefing is therefore solely based on information available from public sources.
According to the Estonian Ministry of Defense, the incursion took place between 9:58 am and 10:11 am, in the area of Vaindloo, a small island located in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.
According to the Ministry, the jets entered the Estonian airspace without permission and had their transponders switched off and did not have flight plans, potentially endangering other aircraft. According to Estonian and Italian officials, Italian F-35 fighters attached to NATO’s air defense support mission in the Baltic states were reportedly activated to intercept the Russian jets and warned them off. Sweden, as part of its national response and in coordination with NATO, along with Finland also reportedly scrambled rapid reaction aircraft.
Estonia stated that this latest incident follows four violations of its airspace by Russia this year, and it has requested consultations with NATO allies under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty. The meeting of the NATO North Atlantic Council has been reportedly scheduled to take place tomorrow, 23 September.
On 20 September, Russia's Defense Ministry stated that its fighter jets made a scheduled flight from Karelia, on the border with Finland, to an airfield in the Kaliningrad Region, in strict accordance with international airspace rules, without deviating from the agreed flight path and without violating Estonian airspace. According to the Russian Federation, the flight path was over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers from the island of Vaindloo.
Mr. President,
This latest development follows reported violations by Russian drones of Polish and Romanian airspace.
On 12 September, this Council convened to discuss the incursion of 19 Russian drones into Poland between 9 and 10 September.
On 13 September, according to Romania's Ministry of Defense, a Russian drone was detected in Romanian airspace as two Romanian F-16 jets were monitoring the country's border with Ukraine, after Russian air attacks on Ukraine. The Ministry said that the drone did not fly over populated areas or pose imminent danger.
This series of recent incidents further underscore the already high tensions that endanger European security as the war continues to rage in Ukraine.
Violations of sovereign countries’ airspace are unacceptable.
We again urge all concerned to act responsibly, to use all available channels and to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions and prevent further risks to regional security.
The world simply cannot afford such danger to spiral out of control, and for the devastating war in Ukraine to further escalate and expand.
Mr. President,
Over the weekend in Ukraine, Russian drones and missiles continued to hit several regions, killing at least three people, injuring dozens more, and damaging civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. Several civilian casualties were reported across the country. According to the Ukrainian authorities, in the central city of Dnipro, a missile with a reported cluster munition hit a residential apartment building, killing at least one person and injuring at least 30 others. Local officials reported that two people were also killed in the Chernihiv region in the north and the Khmelnytskyi region in the west of the country.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, over the past week Russia launched more than 1,500 attack drones,1,280 guided aerial bombs and 50 missiles of various types. This represents a clear escalation of Russia’s attacks against Ukrainian cities and towns.
More casualties were also reported over the weekend in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, where according to local officials, two civilians were reportedly killed and four injured as a result of Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks.
The continuing trend of intensifying, widespread attacks once again underscores the need to build on recent initiatives for diplomatic efforts towards peace, before the situation reaches even more dangerous levels.
We reiterate our call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire to pave the way for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
Thank you.
