NATO said on Tuesday that one of its F-16 jets from the Baltic air policing mission based in Lithuania shot down a drone over Estonian airspace.
Estonia and neighbouring Latvia both issued air-alert warnings reporting drone activity, though it was not immediately clear whether they were referring to the same object.
According to Estonia’s military, a drone crossed into Estonian airspace from Russia around midday local time (0900 GMT/UTC). The aircraft was engaged and destroyed at 12:14 local time by a Romanian NATO fighter jet that was on a training flight; officials said a single missile was used.
Estonian authorities said the incident took place amid intense electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming they attributed to Russia. The military said it had been tracking the drone before it entered Estonian airspace and that the decision to shoot it down aimed to minimise risks to civilians and infrastructure.
NATO confirmed the shoot-down and said an investigation is under way, stressing it remains ready to respond to potential air threats.
The episode is the latest in a run of airspace incidents across the Baltic states, coming as attacks on Russian facilities — including major oil terminals at Primorsk and Ust-Luga — have increased. The routes used in those strikes run close to the borders of NATO members on the Baltic Sea, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, and defensive systems can disrupt small drones’ navigation.
Baltic governments have broadly blamed Russia for the spike in violations, saying the incidents are a result of Russia’s war and provocations. Estonia’s foreign minister said the country is boosting cooperation with Ukraine to strengthen air-defence and counter-drone capabilities.
The stray drone incidents have also had political repercussions. In Latvia, disagreements over how to handle drones contributed to the collapse of the coalition government this month and prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Silina. On May 15, warnings of drone activity caused disruptions at Helsinki’s international airport and other areas near Finland’s capital.
An air alert in Latvia on Tuesday led to disruptions to trains and schools in border areas near Russia. Officials in Latvia and Estonia said they had not permitted Ukraine to strike Russian targets using their territory or airspace. Kyiv’s foreign ministry reiterated that it has never requested use of those countries’ airspace for attacks, and a ministry spokesman apologised to Estonia for any unintended incidents, while accusing Russia of deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones into the Baltics and running propaganda about the events.
Edited by Louis Oelofse