Lead
A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone over Estonia on Tuesday, in an incident that officials suspect was caused by Russian electronic jamming diverting a Ukrainian drone off course. The Romanian F-16, part of the alliance's Baltic air policing mission, fired a missile at the drone after its trajectory was deemed a threat, according to multiple reports.
Estonia's Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the decision to shoot down the drone was made to minimize impact on civilians and infrastructure, as the debris landed in a marshy area about 30 meters from a residential building. The incident is the latest in a series of drone incursions in the Baltic region, raising tensions amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
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The shooting was confirmed by NATO, which said an investigation is ongoing. Estonia's military reported that the drone entered its airspace from Russia at around noon local time and was intercepted minutes later by a Romanian fighter jet on a training flight.
Ukraine responded by apologizing for the incident, with foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi saying, "We apologise to Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents." Kyiv accused Moscow of deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones launched at "legitimate military targets" in Russia, a claim reported by multiple outlets.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Ukraine of planning to launch drone attacks from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, warning of "just retribution." Baltic officials denied these allegations, with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs stating, "Russia is lying about Latvia allowing any country to use Latvian airspace and territory to launch attacks against Russia or any other country."
Meanwhile, Latvia's military reported at least one drone in its airspace on Thursday, and NATO aircraft were activated. This followed a separate incident in which two drones crashed near an oil storage facility in eastern Latvia, damaging four empty oil tanks. The Latvian government has been investigating reports that the drones may have been Ukrainian units that lost their way due to Russian jamming.
Key Claims
- A Romanian F-16 NATO jet shot down a drone over Estonia on Tuesday, as confirmed by NATO and reported by Estonia's defence minister.
- The drone was likely a Ukrainian drone diverted by Russian electronic jamming, with Estonia's military citing "heavy electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming, by Russia."
- Ukraine apologized for the incident and blamed Moscow for the diversion, stating it had been aiming at legitimate targets in Russia.
- Estonia's defence minister said the decision to shoot down the drone was made to minimize impact on civilians.
- Russia's SVR accused Ukraine of planning to launch drone attacks from Baltic states, a claim denied by Baltic officials.
- Latvia is investigating two drones that entered its airspace and crashed near an oil storage facility; preliminary data suggests they may have been sent from Ukraine toward Russia.
- Ukraine has intensified its drone raids on Russian energy facilities and arms factories, according to The Hindu.