European diplomats warned the Kremlin that Nato is prepared to take shoot down any Russian fighter jets that violate their airspace, as tensions military between the EU and Russia continue to mount, Bloomberg reported on September 25, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The warning followed an incident on September 19 in which three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace. During what was described as a “tense meeting in Moscow,” the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, Germany and France delivered the warning to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the report, European diplomats told Russian officials that the intrusion into Estonian airspace appeared to be deliberate. The meeting reportedly took place on September 22 and included Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, though the official agenda focused on discussions concerning Iran’s nuclear programme.

A Russian representative is said to have told the European envoys that recent airspace violations were “a response to Ukrainian attacks on Crimea,” which, according to the Russian side, “would not have been possible without Nato support.” The Bloomberg report did not clarify which specific Ukrainian operations the Kremlin was referring to, nor did it detail what form Nato’s alleged involvement might have taken.

Tensions have escalated after Ukraine has adopted a new military policy of repeatedly targeting Russian refineries with new long-range drones and missiles, causing a growing fuel crisis in Russia’s regions. Previously, Ukraine’s western allies have pressured Kyiv to refrain from hitting Russian economic and military targets on Russian territory.

In related news, the Trump administration announced that any new missile sales to Ukraine by the US under the Nato-will-pay deal struck in July will come with a ban on use on targets inside Russia.

While Nato has previously condemned Russian airspace violations and reinforced its eastern flank since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, direct warnings of potential military action — including the downing of aircraft — mark a change in the rules of engagement by Nato and yet another escalation between Moscow and Western capitals.

The Russian jet incursions come only days after a drone incursion by Russian drones into Polish airspace on September 10 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called an “escalation” and is widely seen as the Armed Forces of Russia (AFR) probing Nato’s air defences. A similar incursion happened a few days later, when Russian drones flew into Romanian airspace.

This week, Danish airports were temporarily closed down on suspected Russian drones in its airspace, however, the government quickly said it was a false alarm and no Russian aircraft were in its airspace.

Nato headquarters has not commented on the report, or the governments of the UK, Germany or France in response to requests for comment. The Kremlin has also not issued an official statement regarding the incident or the meeting.