Baltic tensions rise after NATO drone is shot down over Estonia

Estonia said a NATO fighter jet shot down a drone over its territory on Tuesday after the aircraft was reportedly diverted by Russian electronic jamming.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said a Romanian F-16 destroyed the drone after it entered Estonian airspace near the town of Poltsamaa.

Debris later fell into a marshy area and no damage or injuries were reported.

Estonia said the drone was believed to be a Ukrainian projectile that had gone off course.

According to the defence ministry, Latvia had warned Estonia in advance about the drone’s movement.

Ukraine later apologised for the incident, accusing Russia of deliberately redirecting drones through electronic warfare measures.

“We apologise to Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said.

The incident is the latest in a series of drone incursions involving Baltic NATO members including Latvia and Lithuania.

Moscow has previously accused Baltic states of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to strike Russian targets, claims denied by all three countries.

The growing number of drone incidents has raised security concerns along Nato’s eastern flank.