Russia and Nato just minutes from international incident over Baltic Sea tanker

War now feels dangerously close on Nato’s eastern flank after a Russian fighter jet tore into Estonia’s airspace.

It was a brief violation – lasting for about a minute – but it was enough to trigger an emergency alarm in the Baltic Sea.

It happened after the Estonian Navy said it attempted to detain a Russia-bound oil tanker, while it was navigating in international waters.

The vessel, Jaguar, was sanctioned by Britain last Friday, amid accusations it is one of about 100 in Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ – deployed by the Kremlin to avoid international sanctions.

The tanker was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian Navy communicated with it by radio at 3.30pm UK time on Tuesday.

Estonian authorities deployed an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, an M28 Skytruck aircraft, and the EML Raju patrol boat to intercept it.

They demanded that Jaguar’s crew change course, but they refused to comply.

It was then that Russian forces scrambled a Su-35 fighter plane to provide cover for the tanker.

Public broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday that the Russian aircraft’s transponders had been switched off and no flight plan had been filed.

Estonian Navy commander Ivo Vark said that forces ‘had an obligation to verify the vessel’s documents and legal status as it was sailing ‘without a nationality’.

He added: The vessel denied cooperation and continued its journey toward Russia…

‘Given the vessel’s lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary.’

An Estonian patrol then escorted the Jaguar until it eventually reached Russian waters, Vark added.

Footage filmed from a bridge of a tanker whose IMO identification number matches that of the Jaguar shows a navy patrol boat, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft hovering nearby.

A voice on a radio is heard in the background: ‘This is Estonian warship … follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately.’

In Russian, a voice says off-camera, is heard saying: ‘We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor.’

A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed flying nearby.

Margus Tsahkna, Estonian foreign minister, stressed this is a ‘very serious and regrettable incident, which is completely unacceptable.’

He said on X: ‘Yesterday another incident with Russia’s shadow fleet in the Gulf of Finland proved that we must act.

‘With the info op that followed Russia has clearly tied itself to the shadow fleet – a threat that must face tougher, faster sanctions.’

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