A NATO fighter jet shot down a Ukrainian drone in Estonian airspace on Tuesday, after it was reportedly diverted from its course by a Russian jamming system, Estonia’s defence minister announced.
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.
Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the drone was first detected by Latvia before it was shot down by a Romanian F-16 stationed in Lithuania.
Debris from the drone was reported near Poltsamaa in central Estonia.
Pevkur said he had been in contact with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, who “apologised” after the incident, which happened as NATO “Spring Storm 2026” exercises are being held in Estonia this week.
“Estonia did not grant any authorisation to use its airspace” and “the Ukrainians did not ask for such authorisation”, he told a news conference.
Several Ukrainian drones have crashed in recent months in the three Baltic states.
No injuries or major damage have been caused by the latest incident but in Latvia this month the government’s handling of stray drones triggered a political crisis.
Prime Minister Evika Silina sacked her defence minister then had to resign herself after losing her majority.
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