A Romanian F-16 jet belonging to NATO air policing forces shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia on Tuesday. This marks the first time a NATO fighter jet has shot down such a drone. A local resident reported seeing two jets before hearing a loud bang, noting that the drone crashed approximately 30 metres from a residential building.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that the drone was likely intended to hit Russian targets. These incidents come as Kyiv ramps up drone raids against Russian arms factories and energy facilities, including Baltic oil facilities. Russia recently reported one of the largest Ukrainian drone strikes on the country, which killed at least four people and wounded a dozen others.
The incident is the latest in a series of airspace violations since March, with Ukrainian military drones straying into the territories of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. These incursions have led to political consequences, including the resignation of the Latvian government last week. Some Baltic officials suggest that Russian electronic jamming may be diverting long-range Ukrainian drones into NATO territory.
Ukraine has apologized for the unintended incident, while Russia has threatened retaliation. Estonian authorities have advised Ukraine to be careful with its routing, emphasizing that trajectories used to attack Russian positions must be kept as far from NATO territory as possible.