Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur confirmed that a NATO F-16 intercepted and destroyed an suspected Ukrainian drone in Estonian airspace on Tuesday, May 19, amid accusations of Russian electronic warfare interference.
Drone Incident Over the Baltics
The drone was neutralized near Lake Voertsjoarv in southern Estonia. On the same day, the Latvian military reported that a similar unmanned aerial vehicle had intruded into its national airspace.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia is intentionally redirecting Ukrainian drones toward Baltic states using electronic warfare measures, describing the actions as a calculated propaganda move by Moscow.
Official Denials of Collusion
In response to Russian Foreign Intelligence Service allegations that Latvia permitted attacks from its territory, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze firmly denied the claims, noting that these points have been clarified to Russian representatives multiple times.
Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, emphasized that Ukraine has never requested to use Baltic or Finnish airspace for military operations and is cooperating with regional authorities to prevent further incidents.
Ukraine’s Right to Self-Defense
Tykhyi asserted that Ukraine operates under Article 51 of the UN Charter, targeting legitimate military sites within Russia directly. He rejected Moscow’s attempts to blame third-party nations for the consequences of the ongoing conflict.
