Estonia has said a NATO fighter jet shot down a drone, which it suspects was a Ukrainian projectile knocked off course by Russian electronic jamming, over its territory. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that a Romanian F-16 fired a missile, and drone debris fell in a marshy area in central Estonia on Tuesday. No damage was reported.
Ukraine reacted by accusing Russia of deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones launched at 'legitimate military targets' in Russia, apologising to 'Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents'. Russia has not commented on the latest incident, which is part of a series of drone incursions over NATO member states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Last week, the Latvian Prime Minister resigned following a political crisis caused by wayward Ukrainian drones straying into Latvian airspace. Recent drone attacks by Ukraine have intensified, targeting Russian facilities, and Moscow continues to stoke fears that it will use the airspace of the three Baltic states for future provocations.
Pevkur confirmed the drone was identified as a potential threat even before entering Estonian airspace, with early warnings from Latvia. Upon being detected, Estonia tracked the drone until it was downed by Romanian fighter jets. Local media reported that the drone crashed into a forest about 30 meters from the nearest residential building.
In light of increasing drone activity, there are rising concerns in the Baltic nations regarding possible provocations by Moscow to test NATO's commitment. Last year saw several NATO nations augment their military presence in Eastern Europe in response to drone incursions and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine reacted by accusing Russia of deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones launched at 'legitimate military targets' in Russia, apologising to 'Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents'. Russia has not commented on the latest incident, which is part of a series of drone incursions over NATO member states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Last week, the Latvian Prime Minister resigned following a political crisis caused by wayward Ukrainian drones straying into Latvian airspace. Recent drone attacks by Ukraine have intensified, targeting Russian facilities, and Moscow continues to stoke fears that it will use the airspace of the three Baltic states for future provocations.
Pevkur confirmed the drone was identified as a potential threat even before entering Estonian airspace, with early warnings from Latvia. Upon being detected, Estonia tracked the drone until it was downed by Romanian fighter jets. Local media reported that the drone crashed into a forest about 30 meters from the nearest residential building.
In light of increasing drone activity, there are rising concerns in the Baltic nations regarding possible provocations by Moscow to test NATO's commitment. Last year saw several NATO nations augment their military presence in Eastern Europe in response to drone incursions and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
