Here are the Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that violated Estonian airspace

The Swedish military has released photos it claims show Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace this morning. They say the photos were taken over the Baltic Sea after the Russian plane left Estonian airspace, Proto Thema reports, as cited by Focus.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry condemned the incursion as “brazen“. It said three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian skies “without permission and remained there for a total of 12 minutes“ over the Gulf of Finland.

Italian jets responded to the incursion as part of NATO's mission to reinforce its eastern flank, while Finland and Sweden also scrambled jets.

Estonia is the third NATO country to report a violation of its airspace by Russia in recent weeks, with Romania and Poland reporting similar incidents.

EU leaders will discuss their response to Russia's violations of European airspace at their upcoming summit in Copenhagen on October 1, European Council President Antonio Costa said.

German Foreign Minister Johannes Vandeful said NATO was always ready to defend itself after intercepting Russian planes that Estonia said violated its airspace with "brazen" invasion.

France, which has military forces including fighter jets based in Estonia, has called the incursions by Russian warplanes into the Baltic states a flagrant violation of international law.

British Defence Secretary John Healey said the violation of the airspace of Estonia, now a NATO member, by Russian warplanes was the latest reckless and dangerous activity by Russia in recent days.

NATO spokeswoman Alison Hart said tonight that the North Atlantic Council would meet early next week to discuss the incident in more detail, following Estonia's request for consultations under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.