Several unmanned aerial vehicles have entered Estonian airspace, and according to the assessment of the armed forces, they probably deviated from a route aimed at targets in Russia. The incident was registered on Tuesday night, and according to the national media ERR, debris from at least one drone was also found.
The Estonian army indicates that the devices were most likely launched from Ukrainian territory with the aim of striking military facilities in the Russian Federation near the border, but deviated and entered Estonian airspace. In response, NATO's Baltic Airspace Protection Mission was activated.
A similar incident was also reported in Finland, where police reported the detection of a drone that was not of local origin. According to information from public broadcaster YLE, the device is also likely to be linked to Ukrainian operations. On Sunday, a drone crashed on Finnish territory - the first such incident since the start of the war in which the conflict reached the country.
The incidents come against the backdrop of new drone strikes against a Russian oil terminal near St. Petersburg, suggesting that the devices were part of a wider operation. In the past week, Latvia and Lithuania have also reported drones of Ukrainian origin on their territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said that Kiev is working in close coordination with the Baltic states and Finland to prevent similar incidents. He stressed that Ukraine does not direct drones at these countries and accused Russia of deliberately provoking such situations.
The Estonian military warns that such violations are possible in the future, defining them as a direct consequence of Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.
It is striking that the affected countries and allies of Ukraine are so far avoiding a sharper public reaction, probably in view of their strategic support for Kiev. A similar approach was observed after the incident in Przewodów in 2022, when a fallen Ukrainian air defense missile killed two people. At that time, Poland reacted cautiously, and subsequent investigations led to clarification of the case, after which such incidents did not occur again. However, experts warn that with the increase in the frequency of such violations, the risk of real damage and casualties increases, which may lead to a change in the positions of the allies.