A NATO fighter jet has shot down a drone flying over southern Estonia, marking the latest incident involving Ukrainian drones crossing into NATO territory.
Incident Details
A Romanian Air Force F-16, deployed with NATO air policing forces in the Baltics, fired at what is believed to have been a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia on Tuesday, authorities confirmed. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated, "Given the trajectory of the drone, we decided that we need to take it down. Most probably, today we can say that it was a drone which was meant to hit some Russian targets."
Responses and Reactions
Ukraine apologised for what it described as an "unintended incident," while Russia warned of retaliation if Ukrainian drones are launched from Baltic countries. This event is the latest in a series of incidents in recent months where Ukrainian drones aimed at Russia have either crossed into or landed in NATO territory. Western officials attribute these occurrences to likely Russian electronic jamming of the weapons, causing them to veer off course.
The incident underscores the heightened tensions in the region and the challenges faced by NATO forces in monitoring and responding to aerial intrusions. The Romanian F-16 was scrambled as part of NATO's air policing mission in the Baltics, which aims to safeguard the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
