Russian aircraft again violates Estonia's airspace near Vaindloo island

[steve2470]

Source: The Baltic Times

TALLINN - A Russian aircraft on Thursday violated the Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo in the Gulf of Finland, marking the second time that a Russian aircraft violates the Estonian airspace this week.

An Ilyushin IL-96 aircraft belonging to Russia at about noon on Tuesday entered the Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo without permission, spokespeople at the headquarters of the Estonian defense forces told BNS. The aircraft spent less than a minute in Estonian airspace.

The plane's transponder was turned on, but it had not presented a flight plan. The aircraft had no radio contact with Estonian Air Navigation Services.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Russian ambassador and handed him a diplomatic note. This is the fourth time that a Russian aircraft has made an unauthorized incursion into the Estonian airspace this year.

Read more: https://www.baltictimes.com/russian_aircraft_again_violates_estonia_s_airspace_near_vaindloo_island/

[Nero Mero]

1. They know the US won't mind

Because Putin’s puppet is in the house.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Comrade Дональд Трамп (Donald Trump) is ready to give away mil exercises for nothing, like NK. . nt

[Achilleaze]

3. republicans are surrendering again

giving up the Baltics to pooty poot so their republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief, Dirty Donny, can stay in POWER.

Disgustingly weak and faithless on the part of the GOP

[maryellen99]

4. Don't be surprised if Putin tries to militarily take the Baltics after The World Cup

Like he did with Crimea after the Winter Olympics.

[lark]

5. So is this now target 1 or 2?

You know Vlad's going after the rest of Ukraine, so is Estonia target #2 or is this foreshadowing it moving up to target #1? In either case, US will do exactly zero to defend other countries from his master's megalomaniacal aggression, as he's been paid to do.

[haele]

8. I think Estonia will be #1. It's the safe ports and coastline he wants.

He's already gotten the Black Sea ports from the Ukraine, he doesn't need to rush those. The Ukrainian government is still too weak, and not really a threat to him right now, unlike other NATO countries. Poland is too dangerous to threaten right now - not only is there still a large U.S. presence there that would take at least two years to remove - no matter what his puppet might order U.S. Generals and Admirals to do - there's also the threat of German forces able to prepare and counter far more quickly than the Russian army can take Poland. He needs to play the long game to take Poland, unless he decides to fuck everything and use Nukes. In that scenario, he's going to basically burn his own country into the Stone Age along with the rest of the world, and I don't think he's that Messianicaly delusional that he wants to do that.
He's channeling Ceaser, not Jim Jones.

Since he's already playing at war games with Norway and Sweden for the Northern Passage, I'm thinking he feels the need to be able to more quickly threaten them from the Baltic - basically, at their front door - in order to be the intimidation factor he wants to be.

My take - this is his attempt at empire building on the shoestring that is the raped Russian economy. He's playing Mobster Risk against the rest of the world, planning his country's real estate acquisitions carefully for the maximum benefit and the least cost to his own bank account. Think like a Mob Boss, and you can understand everything he's been doing to get Russia to where it is now.

His strategic physical targets in Europe at this point are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Frankly, Erdogan is an ally in spirit for him, and most of the Balkans are still too politically unstable to stop his infrastructure building. It's about the Oil, Gas - and shipping. All the things that make Russia money.
Russia's real enemy is, and always has been, China. The West is a secondary consideration; a technology and economic resource for Russia to leverage.

Every other Western country can be managed through cyber disruption - either giving him time while that government deals with the social or economic disruption that is being caused, or bringing down a relatively stable government and putting in puppets.

Haele

[Yupster]

9. He can take Estonia in two days

Ukraine would be a major military effort over a long period of time.

We need NATO troops in Estonia. What good are they doing in Germany?

[Anon-C]

6. Third intrusion in days!

[MBS]

7. Oy.

something really does seem to be up.
The Estonians don't deserve this.
And they certainly don't need someone in the White House who doesn't give a fig about NATO or democracy or long-time honored alliances.