Tallinn said a Russian fighter jet briefly violated NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea after Estonian naval forces tried to stop a Russian-linked tanker believed to be part of the so-called "shadow fleet", Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Russia sees the sanctions as a malicious attempt to destroy its economy and says all ships are free to pass through the Baltic Sea and that it is dangerous to make any attempts to stop them.
The Estonian navy said that the unflagged "Jaguar", which Britain imposed sanctions on last week, had ignored its request to stop. "Russia sent a fighter jet to check the situation. This fighter jet violated NATO airspace for almost a minute," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told journalists in Turkey before a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers. "Russia is ready to protect the "shadow fleet"… The situation is very serious," Tsahkna added.
Western countries say Moscow is using a so-called "shadow fleet", which consists of more than 100 ships, to circumvent sanctions against Russian fuel exports. Moscow sends millions of barrels of oil and fuel to China and India every day.
The tanker "Jaguar" was sailing in international waters between Estonia and Finland and did not comply with the Estonian Navy's request to change course, an Estonian military spokesman later told Reuters. A Russian SU-35 fighter jet approached the vessel, entering international airspace, and then briefly violated Estonian airspace.
Finland warned that Russian ships in the area were making reckless maneuvers, and Lithuania expressed concerns about the outbreak of conflict.
"The probability of a serious escalation in the Baltic Sea is increasing," said Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas. "Russia has clearly demonstrated that it is ready to protect the route for its oil. We must act carefully and rationally so that the escalation does not escalate into a military clash," he added.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Estonia and the military bloc were in "close contact" about the incident.