- Estonian authorities said Tuesday that a Russian border guard helicopter violated its airspace at the weekend
- The NATO state's defence ministry said this was one of several similar incidents of Russian infringement
- Latest incursion into Estonian airspace by a military helicopter comes days ahead of the next NATO summit
- German economy minister accused Russian energy giant Gazprom of trying to 'create chaos' on the continent
- 'Reduction of gas deliveries via Nord Stream 1 pipeline is an attack on us,' minister Robert Habeck said
- Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have fired up mothballed coal plants to reduce their gas consumption
- It comes as Russia vowed to retaliate after Lithuania blocked goods EU goods from reaching Kaliningrad
- A Russian general said the West is playing with fire by preventing goods from reaching the Russian exclave
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The MI-8 has been one of Russia's foremost aerial vehicles deployed in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to transport small contingents of troops and to provide close air support with missiles and machine gun fire
Estonian authorities said Tuesday that a Russian border guard helicopter violated the nation's airspace over the weekend and simulated missile attacks, triggering a summons for the NATO state's Russian ambassador.
Estonia's military said in a statement that the Russian MI-8 helicopter entered the country's airspace in southeastern Estonia in the Koidula area - not far from the Russian city of Pskov - without permission on Saturday evening.
The helicopter was in Estonia's airspace for almost two minutes, Estonia's military said, adding that it hadn't presented a flight plan, had its transponder switched off and failed to maintain radio contact with Estonian Air Navigation Services.
The alleged intrusion was one of multiple violations of Estonia's airspace this year and comes less than a week before a scheduled NATO summit in Madrid.
The MI-8 has been one of Russia's foremost aerial vehicles deployed in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to transport small contingents of troops and to provide close air support with missiles and machine gun fire.
Estonia's military said in a statement that the Russian MI-8 helicopter (pictured flying over St Petersburg) entered the country's airspace in southeastern Estonia
Kusti Salm, permanent secretary at Estonia's defence ministry, told journalists: 'This week there have been multiple border violations by helicopters... and also a lot of provocative behaviour along the border. Apparently they are trying to create some sort of context head of the summit.
'During the ongoing exercises, Russia is simulating missile attacks against Estonia. This is something that has become daily... This is the picture of the threat. It has never been as serious as it is now,' he added.
Last year, Russian aircraft - military and civilian - violated Estonia's airspace five times, the military said.
On Friday, Russia's ambassador to Denmark was summoned to the Danish foreign ministry after a Russian military vessel twice violated the country's territorial waters off the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.
The incident happened while many Danish lawmakers were on the island for an annual gathering of politicians and lobbyists.
It comes as Germany's economy minister accused Russian energy giant Gazprom of mounting an 'attack' on his nation after it slashed its supply of gas to Europe.
'The reduction of gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is an attack on us, an economic attack on us,' Robert Habeck said in a speech to a German industry conference earlier today.
Gazprom said last week it would reduce supplies of the fuel to Germany via the pipeline due to delayed repairs, but the German government has called the decision 'political' amid the widespread European support for Ukraine following Putin's invasion.
As a result of the cut, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands decided to reactivate mothballed coal power plants to reduce their gas consumption.
Germany has also mandated the filling of gas reserves to 90 per cent ahead of the European winter, to hedge against a further reduction in supply.
'When we go into the winter with half full gas stores and the taps are turned off then we are talking about a difficult economic crisis in Germany,' Habeck said.
Germany's economy minister has accused Russian energy giant Gazprom of mounting an 'attack' on his nation after it slashed its supply of gas to Europe. 'The reduction of gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is an attack on us, an economic attack on us,' Robert Habeck said in a speech to a German industry conference earlier today
Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) has sought to 'create chaos' in European gas markets by cutting off supply to Poland and Bulgaria among other European countries, the minister said
Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022
Russia meanwhile has vowed to retaliate against Lithuania with measures that 'will have a serious negative impact on the Lithuanian population' after the country blocked EU-sanctioned goods from reaching the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Moscow will respond shortly to Lithuania's move to block deliveries of coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad.
'Russia will certainly respond to such hostile actions. Relevant measures are being worked out in the interdepartmental format and will be taken in the near future,' Interfax cited Patrushev, a former KGB spy, as saying.
'Their consequences will have a serious negative impact on the population of Lithuania,' he added.
Patrushev's warning comes as retired Russian general Evgeny Buzhinsky urged Putin to send nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad.
Lt-Gen Buzhinsky told Russian state TV that the West is playing with fire after deliveries of coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology were stopped from entering the Russian territory via NATO state Lithuania.
Lt-Gen Evgeny Buzhinsky told Russian state TV that the West is playing with fire after deliveries of coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology were stopped from entering the Russian territory via NATO state Lithuania
Vladimir Putin's allies have threatened Lithuania after the NATO country blocked EU-sanctioned goods from reaching the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad
Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Moscow will respond shortly to Lithuania's move to block deliveries of coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad
Buzhinsky said Lithuania's decision to ban the delivery of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad, a Russian outpost on the Baltic Sea surrounded by EU territory, was a 'threat' to Russia's national security.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile warned that all trust has now evaporated between the West and Moscow.
'Relations between Russia and the West will not be back to the previous level, because Moscow will never again trust such 'partners',' he told MSNBC. 'It will be a lengthy crisis, but we will never trust the West again.'
The threats come after the Kremlin warned of 'very tough actions' against Lithuania if it did not reverse its 'openly hostile move'.
Patrushev, one of Putin's top allies, arrived in Kaliningrad on Tuesday to discuss national security amid the row with NATO member Lithuania.
He will chair a meeting about security in Russia's northwest in Kaliningrad, the state RIA news agency said.
RIA said the trip, which included a discussion about transport, was planned before Vilnius banned the transit of goods sanctioned by the European Union through Lithuanian territory to and from the exclave, citing EU sanction rules.
Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday also summoned the European Union ambassador to Moscow, Markus Ederer, over the 'anti-Russian restrictions' on the transit of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile warned that all trust has now evaporated between the West and Moscow
Pro-Putin TV anchor Yevgeny Popov asked Buzhinsky: 'In other words, this is a war with NATO?' Buzhinsky responded: 'Yes - what else do we do? Otherwise they'll simply strangle us. We can't stop, otherwise they'll deprive us of Kaliningrad'
'The inadmissibility of such actions, which violate the relevant legal and political obligations of the European Union and lead to an escalation of tensions, was pointed out,' the ministry said in a statement
In response, Ederer urged Russia on Tuesday to refrain from 'escalatory steps and rhetoric' over what Moscow calls 'anti-Russian restrictions', an EU spokesperson said.
'He conveyed our position on Russia's aggression against Ukraine and explained that Lithuania is implementing EU sanctions and there is no blockade, and asked them to refrain from escalatory steps and rhetoric,' spokesperson Peter Stano said.
The Lithuanian government stressed in a written statement Tuesday that 'the transit of passengers and non-sanctioned goods to and from the Kaliningrad region through Lithuania continues uninterrupted,' and that the ban on transit of sanctioned goods was merely part the fourth package of EU sanctions against Russia.
Top Lithuanian officials decried Russia's reaction to the measure as an attempt by the Kremlin to wind up a propaganda campaign trying to create an image of a 'blockade' mainly for internal consumption.
'It's ironic to hear rhetoric about alleged violations of international treaties from a country which has violated possibly every single international treaty,' Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte told reporters.
'There is no Kaliningrad blockade,' Simonyte said. 'Lithuania is implementing EU sanctions.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10939111/Russia-simulating-missile-attacks-Estonia-warns-Baltic-States-defence-minister.html
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