‘Causes and consequences’ Russian jets and drones keep ‘straying’ into NATO airspace. Here’s how member states have reacted.
On September 19, two NATO countries — Estonia and Poland — accused Russia of fresh provocations. Tallinn said three Russian warplanes violated its airspace, while Warsaw reported that two others entered the safety zone of a Polish drilling platform in the Baltic Sea. Estonia invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty to consult with its allies — the same step Poland took less than two weeks earlier after Russian drones crossed its border. Meduza looks back some moments when NATO countries, and the alliance as a whole, have had to respond to Russian threats since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.
A Russian missile nears a British surveillance plane
On September 29, 2022, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet fired a missile near a British Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft as it flew through international airspace over the Black Sea. Britain’s defense secretary at the time, Ben Wallace, reported the incident to Parliament at the end of that October.
How Britain responded
Wallace said London did not view the incident as a “deliberate escalation” by Moscow. A British Defense Ministry review concluded that the launch was the result of a “technical malfunction.” Even so, London raised the issue directly with Russia’s Defense Ministry and with then-Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. When Britain later resumed reconnaissance flights in the region, its unarmed surveillance planes were escorted by Royal Air Force fighter jets.
A Ukrainian missile falls in Poland
On November 15, 2022, during another wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine, a missile landed near the Polish village of Przewodów, exploding at a local grain facility. Two workers at the site were killed.
How NATO and Poland responded
Initially, an anonymous American intelligence official reported that the missile was part of the Russian barrage aimed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Within hours, however, it emerged that the projectile had been launched by a Ukrainian S-300 air defense system. Even so, the incident sparked intense discussion about the possibility of escalation between NATO and Russia.
Poland briefly considered invoking Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which allows members to request consultations when their security is threatened, but ultimately decided against it. Responsibility for the incident was still placed on Russia, whose bombardment of Ukraine had triggered the Ukrainian defensive response that led to the blast in Przewodów.
Had the initial reports — that the missile was Russian — been confirmed, it could have been treated as an attack on a NATO member. That, in turn, might have prompted a military response from the alliance. Article 5 of the NATO treaty states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. But the common interpretation that every NATO country is automatically obliged to go to war in such a case is mistaken: each state decides for itself the kind of assistance it will offer to its ally, which could include the use of armed force, but could also take other forms.
Our only hope is you. Support Meduza before it’s too late.
A U.S. reconnaissance drone is downed over the Black Sea
On March 14, 2023, a Russian Su-27 fighter intercepted and damaged a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea. The drone crashed into international waters. As Deutsche Welle noted at the time, it was the first instance since the Cold War of a U.S. aircraft being destroyed by Russia’s Air Force.
The unarmed MQ-9 Reaper had taken off from a military base in Romania for a surveillance mission. It was flying about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Crimea, in international airspace, when two Su-27s approached. According to the Pentagon, the Russian jets repeatedly dumped fuel on the drone, eventually damaging its propeller. American operators deliberately crashed it into the sea and remotely wiped its software.
How Washington responded
The United States was rather restrained in its response. It did not consult NATO allies but did communicate directly with Moscow. Then-U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a call with then–Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to discuss the “causes and consequences” of the incident. The U.S. Air Force condemned the actions of the Russian pilots as “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional.” Russia’s ambassador in Washington at the time, Anatoly Antonov, was summoned to the State Department to provide an explanation.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied responsibility, insisting that “the Russian fighter jets did not use their onboard weapons and did not come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle.” Less than 10 days later, however, Shoigu awarded the Su-27 pilots the Order of Courage.
Dangerous maneuvers by a Russian Su-35 near a Polish plane over the Black Sea
On May 5, 2023, a Russian Su-35 fighter came dangerously close to a Polish L-410 Turbolet aircraft that was patrolling international airspace over the Black Sea in cooperation with Romania’s Border Police. Roughly 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) east of Romanian airspace, the Su-35 performed what Poland’s Border Service described as “aggressive” maneuvers. The fighter flew directly in front of the Polish plane; the crew estimated the gap between the aircraft at only about five meters. After three passes, the Russian jet flew away.
How NATO and Romania responded
NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center in Torrejón, Spain, scrambled two Romanian Air Force fighters and two Spanish Air Force jets. All four were prepared to intervene, though ultimately no further escalation was needed. Romania’s Defense Ministry called the Su-35 pilots’ actions “further evidence of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea.”
Russian missiles enter Polish airspace
On December 29, 2023, an “unidentified object” entered Polish airspace from Ukraine. Radar operators tracked it as it moved westward, before the signal disappeared. In total, the object traveled about 40 kilometers (25 miles) over Poland before turning back toward Ukraine. The head of Poland’s General Staff, Wiesław Kukuła, later confirmed it was a Russian cruise missile.
How Poland responded
Then-President Andrzej Duda convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Bureau, attended by General Kukuła, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and General Maciej Klisz, the head of operational command.
The Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires, Andrey Ordash, to hand him a note of protest. Warsaw demanded that Moscow explain the incident and cease such activity.
Still, in March 2024, during another wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine, a Russian missile again entered Polish airspace, remaining over the country for 39 seconds.
Russian jets and bombers enter Finnish airspace
On June 10, 2024, a formation of four Russian aircraft — two bombers and two fighters — violated Finnish airspace near the town of Loviisa, according to Finland’s Border Guard. At least one of the planes remained in restricted airspace for about two minutes, going 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) into Finnish territory. It was not the first, nor the last time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Moscow violated the airspace of its northern neighbor.
How Finland responded
That June, Finland’s Foreign Ministry limited its reaction to a demand for an explanation from the Russian Embassy.
Russian drones enter Polish airspace
On September 10, 2025, during another massive combined strike on Ukraine, about 20 Russian Gerbera drones flew into Polish territory.
Some of the drones were shot down — marking the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine that NATO aircraft took part in such an operation. To counter the threat, Polish authorities put their Patriot air defense systems on alert and scrambled Polish F-16 fighters, along with Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS surveillance planes, and aerial refueling aircraft.
An object struck a house in eastern Poland during the incident, though no casualties were reported. While it was initially described as a drone, a government minister later clarified that it was likely a malfunctioning missile fired from a Polish F-16.
How NATO and Poland responded
This time, the response was more forceful than in any previous incident. Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command called the incident “an act of aggression that created a real threat to the safety of our citizens.” Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency government meeting.
Later that same day, Poland formally invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which was last used in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At a NATO council meeting, allies expressed solidarity with Warsaw and condemned Russia’s actions. Two days later, the alliance launched Operation Eastern Sentry. Seven member states sent fighter jets, helicopters, and additional troops to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, while three others declared their readiness to join the mission.
When a Russian drone entered Romanian airspace on September 13, two F-16s were immediately scrambled to intercept it. After about 50 minutes, the drone exited NATO territory.
Russian fighter jets enter Estonian airspace
Estonia has regularly accused Russia of violating its airspace — at least five times in 2025 alone. But the latest incident, coming on the heels of the drone incursions into Poland, drew particular attention. On September 19, Estonia’s General Staff reported that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets crossed into Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo in the Gulf of Finland. (Moscow denied the accusation, insisting the flight path was “lawful.”)
According to Estonian officials, the jets remained in restricted airspace for 12 minutes. They reportedly had no filed flight plans, their transponders were switched off, and there was no two-way radio contact with Estonian air traffic control.
How Estonia responded
Following Poland’s example, Tallinn reacted firmly. Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced that Estonia, too, had requested consultations with NATO allies under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Estonia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Tallinn to deliver a formal note of protest.
Asked whether he saw the incursion as a threat to NATO, U.S. President Donald Trump replied: “I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens. This could be big trouble.”
