NATO on Tuesday (September 23) condemned Russia for violating Estonian airspace last week and said it would use "all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves" as it faced "a pattern of increasingly irresponsible behaviour" by Moscow.

Russia's recent actions - including drone incursions in Polish and Romanian airspace and its violation of Estonian airspace with jets - were either intentional or "blatant incompetence," NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.

NATO TV shared on Friday (September 19) video of surveillance over Poland airspace, the first surveillance flight of NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) in support of a military activity called “Eastern Sentry.”

Estonia said on Friday that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated its airspace for 12 minutes before being escorted out by NATO Italian fighter jets - an incident Western officials say was likely designed to test NATO's readiness and resolve.

The incident occurred the week after some 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, prompting NATO jets to shoot down some of them.

"Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives. They must stop," the alliance's North Atlantic Council said in a statement.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

GEILENKIRCHEN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

1. VARIOUS OF NATO E-3A AIRBORNE WARNING AND CONTROL SYSTEM (AWACS) AIRCRAFT PARKED AT NATO AIR BASE

2. DUTCH AIR FORCE FLIGHT ENGINEER PERFORMING PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS

3. PLANE WING

4. DUTCH AIR FORCE FLIGHT ENGINEER PERFORMING PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS

5. VARIOUS OF U.S. AIR FORCE GROUND CREW CONDUCTING PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTIONS

6. NATO AIRCREW BOARDING AWACS AIRCRAFT

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF THE NATO AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING AND CONTROL FORCE, LT. COL. CHRISTIAN BRETT, SAYING:

"Earlier this month, Russian drones violated NATO airspace. Today, we are flying the first AWACS mission in support of the new military activity 'Eastern Sentry'. We're flying a surveillance mission on the eastern flank over Poland."

IN AIR (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

8. NATO AWACS AIRCRAFT DURING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING WITH U.S. AIR FORCE KC-135

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF THE NATO AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING AND CONTROL FORCE, LT. COL. CHRISTIAN BRETT, SAYING:

"Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we've conducted those surveillance missions on the eastern flank almost every day. What's new now, the new set-up, is that collaboration and cooperation is at a new level."

IN AIR (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

10. NATO AWACS AIRCRAFT DURING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING WITH U.S. AIR FORCE KC-135

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF THE NATO AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING AND CONTROL FORCE, LT. COL. CHRISTIAN BRETT, SAYING:

"We're here to gather as much information as possible about possible threats to the airspace of the Alliance and then report it off to our Allies, so that they can react to every possible threat."

IN AIR (SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) (NATO TV - News use only)

12. GERMAN PILOT ON NATO AWACS AIRCRAFT DURING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING WITH U.S. AIR FORCE KC-135 13. DUTCH AIR FORCE FLIGHT ENGINEER MONITORING AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

14. VARIOUS OF GREEK PILOT ON NATO AWACS AIRCRAFT DURING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING WITH U.S. AIR FORCE KC-135

15. U.S. AIR FORCE KC-135 AIRCRAFT RETRACTING BOOM AFTER COMPLETING REFUELLING

16. BELGIAN AND GREEK PILOTS ON NATO AWACS AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER POLAND

17. VARIOUS OF DUTCH AIR FORCE FLIGHT ENGINEER MONITORING AWACS SYSTEMS IN-FLIGHT

18. GERMAN PILOT ON NATO AWACS AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER POLAND

19. VARIOUS OF NATO CREW MEMBER FROM UNITED STATES MONITORING RADAR SYSTEMS

20. NATO AIRCREW FROM GERMANY AND POLAND MONITORING SKIES OVER POLAND

21. VARIOUS OF NATO AIRCREW FROM GERMANY AND UNITED STATES MONITORING SKIES OVER POLAND 22. VARIOUS OF NATO AIRCREW FROM GERMANY, ITALY AND UNITED STATES MONITORING SKIES OVER POLAND

23. NATO AIRCREW FROM ITALY AND ROMANIA MONITORING COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

24. VARIOUS OF AWACS CREW PREPARING FOR LANDING