Russian planes violate Estonian airspace

  • 2005-09-18
TALLINN 's The Defense Forces' General Staff said on Friday that the seven Russian military planes that flew to Kaliningrad had violated aviation rules and jeopardized the safety of Estonia's civilian air defense traffic.

The Russian aircraft had applied received permission to fly within Estonia's flight information region, yet when their transponders relaying flight information were switched off while en route to the Kaliningrad exclave, the General Staff explained.

By doing so the aircraft placed civilian aircraft in the same area in jeopardy, Defense Forces said.

The Russian aircraft consisted of an A-50 radio surveillance aircraft and six Sukhoi and MiG jets.

One of the six fighters 's a Sukhoi-27 's entered Lithuanian airspace without permission and crashed.