NATO jet downs suspected stray Ukrainian drone over Estonia in first such case
The Kyiv Independent • • world
Key Points:
- For the first time, a NATO fighter jet, operated by Romania as part of the Baltic air policing mission, shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia on May 19, which was likely targeting Russia.
- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry apologized for the incident, attributing it to unintentional drone redirection by Moscow, while Estonia confirmed it had not granted Ukraine permission to use its airspace.
- Latvia and Estonia issued drone alerts after detecting incursions, with no casualties reported from the drone shot down in central Estonia; debris search is ongoing.
- Russia accused Ukraine of launching drones from Latvian bases and claimed Baltic countries' involvement in attacks, but Latvia and Ukraine strongly denied these allegations, labeling them as propaganda.
- The incident highlights ongoing tensions and complexities in the Baltic region amid the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with NATO closely monitoring airspace security.