Estonia Confirms NATO Jet Shot Down Suspected Ukrainian Drone Over Its Territory

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced that a NATO F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone over central Estonia on Tuesday. The drone, suspected to be a Ukrainian projectile, reportedly deviated from its intended course due to Russian electronic jamming. Debris from the drone fell into a marshy area, causing no reported damage.

Ukraine responded by accusing Russia of intentionally redirecting Ukrainian drones targeting “legitimate military targets” within Russia. A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman offered an apology to “Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents.” Russia has not issued any official statement regarding the incident.

Increasing Drone Incursions in Baltic Airspace

This event follows a pattern of recent drone incursions into the airspace of NATO members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Last week, Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned following a political crisis linked to Russia-bound Ukrainian drones straying into Latvian territory. Earlier in the month, two Ukrainian drones struck an empty oil storage facility in Latvia, an event Ukraine also attributed to Russian electronic jamming.

Moscow has previously accused the Baltic states of permitting Ukraine to utilise their “air corridors” for attacks inside Russia, a claim consistently denied by Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. Ukraine has intensified its drone and missile operations against Russian targets, including oil and gas infrastructure, particularly those located near the Baltic nations.

Mr Pevkur confirmed that the drone was intercepted shortly after 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) between Lake Võrtsjärv and the town of Põltsamaa. He stated that the projectile was identified as a potential threat before entering Estonian airspace, with early warnings received from Latvia. The Estonian Defence Ministry noted that NATO fighter jets, part of the Baltic air policing mission, engaged the drone. Mr Pevkur confirmed immediate discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart, who conveyed apologies. Estonia reiterated that it has not granted permission for its airspace to be used by non-allies, and Ukraine had not requested such authorisation.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, reiterated the accusation that “Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian drones into the Baltics” deliberately, as part of an intensified propaganda campaign. His comments followed claims from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency that Ukraine was planning drone launches against Russia from the Baltic states, with Ukrainian military personnel allegedly deployed at Latvian bases. Latvia dismissed these assertions as Russian “disinformation,” while Ukraine’s Mr Tykhyi rejected Moscow’s “falsehoods.”