Estonia Says Russian Jets Entered Its Airspace, As EU Proposes New Sanctions

Estonia said that three Russian MiG-31 fighter aircraft entered its airspace on September 19, hours after the European Commission proposed a 19th package of sanctions on Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry in Tallinn said the jets remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes.

“Russia has already violated Estonia’s airspace four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable. But today’s incursion, involving three fighter aircraft entering our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen,” said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

Estonia is a member of NATO and the European Union. NATO said its jets had intercepted the Russian aircraft.

The incident follows recent incursions by Russian drones in Poland and Romania, which are also members of both organizations.

New EU Sanctions

Earlier on September 19, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned the drone incursions while announcing proposals for the EU’s latest sanctions package.

“Again and again, President [Vladimir] Putin has escalated, and in response, Europe is increasing its pressure,” she said.

Von der Leyen said the main emphasis was on hitting Russia’s fossil fuel revenues, which drive its war in Ukraine.

Brussels is seeking a complete ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the beginning of 2027, bringing forward previous plans to phase them out by the end of that year.

The plans, which need to be approved unanimously by member states, also envisage blacklisting a further 118 vessels in Russia’s "shadow fleet," used to circumvent restrictions on oil exports.

“It’s time to turn off the tap,” von der Leyen said, noting that 560 ships in the shadow fleet were now sanctioned.

She also announced a full transaction ban on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom-Neft, scrapping exemptions they had to earlier sanctions.

In Washington, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill to raise sanctions on the Russian energy sector, specifically targeting the shadow fleet.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a statement that the bill "will vastly expand US sanctions authorities to target a collection of older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing US sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues."

Pressure From Trump

The moves come as the EU has come under pressure from US President Donald Trump to squeeze Russia tighter as a condition for Washington to take punitive measures such as sanctions or tariff hikes aimed at forcing Putin to come to the negotiating table.

In particular, Trump has called for European countries to stop Russian oil imports. Only Hungary and Slovakia do so. Neither has voiced any willingness to stop, but existing EU plans foresee an EU-wide ban on oil imports from Moscow by 2027.

This would be achieved using internal market rules, meaning the decision could not be vetoed.

The proposals outlined on September 19 require unanimity. Previous sanctions packages have undergone numerous amendments as Hungary, which has close ties to Russia, has sought to water them down.

“Our sanctions bite,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement also released on September 19. “They have a visible impact on Russia’s public finances and economic growth. The European Union must reinforce these efforts collectively with its partners until peace is achieved.”

Kallas also responded to the Russian incursion into Estonian airspace, calling it an “extremely dangerous provocation.”

Other key items in the new proposals are a full transaction ban on Russian banks and financial institutions, including those operating in third countries, a ban on investments in Russian Special Economic Zones linked to the war, and further measures on Chinese actors supporting Russia’s military industry.

“These new sanctions will also squeeze Russia’s access to technologies including AI and geospatial data, as well as critical resources that feed weapons production. This includes those received from foreign suppliers including China and India,” Kallas said.

For the first time, the EU would also sanction platforms and include a prohibition on transactions in cryptocurrencies.

There was, however, no move to ban Russian tourist visas in the EU, which had been discussed ahead of the announcement.

Separately, Britain also announced further sanctions on September 19, hitting two shadow fleet oil tankers and two Georgian businessmen over their support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

"The UK will continue to ratchet up economic pressure alongside our allies until Putin stops the bloodshed," an official statement said.

Putin 'Stringing Us Along'

Hours before the EU package was announced, the outgoing head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6 as it is more commonly known, said Russia had no desire for peace in Ukraine.

Richard Moore, who steps down at the end of September, was speaking at the UK Consulate in Istanbul.

He said there was “absolutely no evidence" Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to genuinely negotiate, and that the Kremlin’s engagement in talks so far was simply "stringing us along" while it continued its war of aggression in Ukraine.

"The issue has, and has always been, sovereignty. Putin denies Ukraine's sovereignty and its very existence as a country and a nation," he warned.