Estonian Military Claims Russian Il-96 Jet Violated National Airspace 2nd Time This Week

The Estonian Defence Forces once again claim that Russian Il-96 aircraft allegedly violated the country's airspace near Vaindloo island in the Baltic Sea

HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th May, 2021) The Estonian Defence Forces once again claim that Russian Il-96 aircraft allegedly violated the country's airspace near Vaindloo island in the Baltic Sea.

On Wednesday, the Estonian military reported a similar incident, when a Russian Il-96 aircraft allegedly violated the country's airspace near Vaindloo and spent less than a minute there. On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Ambassador to Estonia, Alexander Petrov, and handed him a note of protest.

"A Russian Federation plane entered Estonian airspace on Wednesday (May 5) and on Friday (May 7). On both occasions the plane, an Il-96 airliner, entered Estonian airspace without the permission and stayed in it for about a minute.

During both of the airspace violations the transponder of the aircraft was switched on, but the aircrafts had not submitted a flight plan, also no radio contact was maintained with Estonian air traffic control," the military stated.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry on Friday once gain summoned the Russian ambassador to hand him the note.

The Russian side has repeatedly stated that all flights of Russian aircraft have been in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters and did not violate the borders of other states.