Lithuania's defense minister has warned that NATO's northeastern border is being "deliberately tested," following Estonia's accusations that Russian planes have violated its airspace.
Dovile Sakaliene said the incident is "clear evidence" that NATO's Operation Eastern Sentry, which aims to strengthen Europe's eastern flank, is "long overdue."
She added that Turkey "has already set an example" in 2015, when the Turkish air force shot down a Russian plane after Ankara claimed it had violated Turkish airspace.
Three Russian planes were caught flying in Estonian airspace on the morning of Friday, September 19. They stayed for 12 minutes before being ejected by an Italian air patrol mission.
Estonia is the third NATO member country to report a violation of its airspace by Russia in recent weeks, after Romania and Poland reported similar incidents.