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A suspected Ukrainian drone that entered the Estonian airspace was shot down on Tuesday by a Romanian F-16 participating in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, Estonian officials said.
The drone was intercepted over Lake Vortsjarv, according to Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
“We received advance information from our Latvian colleagues, and our radar also detected a drone moving into southern Estonia,” Pevkur told public broadcaster ERR.
“We activated the necessary measures, and a Baltic Air Policing fighter jet shot the drone down,” he added.
According to the report, the aircraft involved was a Romanian fighter jet stationed in Siauliai, Lithuania, as part of NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic region.
Pevkur said authorities do not currently see additional threats in Estonian airspace. “The drone incident is over for now,” he said.
“Our data does not show any other unauthorized drones in Estonian airspace.”
He noted, however, that Estonia is currently hosting the NATO-linked “Kevadtorm” (Spring Storm) military exercise in the southern parts of the country, where numerous drones are being used.
“If people see drones, they should keep that in mind. However, if there is any doubt, people should definitely report it,” he said.
Debris from the drone was reported near Poltsamaa in central Estonia.
Marko Mihkelson said the drone was likely Ukrainian and had deviated from its route because of Russian electronic warfare activity.
“It was most likely a Ukrainian drone that had veered off course due to Russian electronic interference,” he said.
Pevkur added that he had spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, who reportedly apologized following the incident.
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“Estonia did not grant any authorization to use its airspace,” Pevkur said, adding that Ukraine had not requested such authorization.
Several Ukrainian drones have crashed in the Baltic states in recent months.
While the latest incident caused no injuries or significant damage, similar episodes have triggered political fallout elsewhere.
It was the first interception of a foreign drone in the airspace of a Baltic state by NATO since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In neighboring Latvia, the government’s handling of stray drones reportedly contributed to a political crisis earlier this month, leading to the dismissal of the defense minister and the resignation of Evika Silina from the prime ministerial post.
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