Estonia's Foreign Minister stated that the accidental fall of Ukrainian drones on the territory of NATO countries is a price worth paying for the destruction of Russian oil refineries and military bases. This was reported by the Financial Times, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, in recent months Kyiv has significantly increased the number of long-range missile and drone strikes on targets within Russia, sometimes hitting objects hundreds of kilometers from the front line in Ukraine.
In response, Russia has intensified the use of electronic warfare and other countermeasures, causing some Ukrainian drones — especially those aimed at the Baltic port of St. Petersburg — to go off course and explode on the territory of NATO countries.
"Of course, we are not happy about such incidents," Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told the Financial Times. "But we are not telling Ukraine to stop this."
"This is a strike on Putin's vital artery."
In neighboring Latvia, a political scandal over the government's reaction to the drone fall last month helped lead to the collapse of the coalition government.
Addendum
Estonia — the northernmost of the Baltic states and the closest to St. Petersburg — has also repeatedly recorded the fall of Ukrainian drones on its territory. Last week, an unexploded Ukrainian drone with a 5 kg warhead was found in an Estonian field.
This year, Ukrainian drones have also fallen on the territory of Lithuania and Finland.
According to Tsahkna, Russian accusations that the Baltic states are allegedly directly involved in these strikes and allow Ukraine to use their airspace to carry them out are "absurd" and indicate the Kremlin's desperation.
"We know that over the last two and a half months, the tone of Putin's inner circle has changed... It is no longer so optimistic. The main reason is the economy, because these strikes deep in the rear are causing it serious damage."
In Ukraine, this campaign is often called "deep sanctions" on social media, and Tsahkna expressed his admiration for this name.
According to the minister, the Kremlin appears "deeply concerned" about these strikes, especially due to the threat to exports via the Baltic Sea, which is of great economic importance. Up to 60% of exported Russian oil passes through the narrow Gulf of Finland.
Meanwhile, fuel shortages have become commonplace in many regions of Russia. Recent drone strikes on oil facilities in St. Petersburg and Moscow have dealt a serious blow to the Kremlin's reputation, undermining its authority within the country.
However, according to Tsahkna, it is still premature to believe that Putin is ready for negotiations. Most likely, the Russian president will only sink deeper into his own strategic mistakes.
He also noted that recent attempts by European countries to establish a dialogue with Russia are misguided.
"Putin has been trying to drag Europe into negotiations for the past month. He needs this to buy time. To use Europe as an opportunity to buy time. To divide us."
According to Tsahkna, the Kremlin seeks to turn European states not into allies of Ukraine, but into "mediators" in the negotiations.
"There will probably be many countries in the European Union that will oppose further pressure on Russia (under such circumstances), because they will say: 'If negotiations are ongoing and we are mediators, then we must be neutral.' They will say: 'Peace is near,' 'an agreement is about to be concluded.'"
"This is just an excuse. And it is a very dangerous path."
Tsahkna also considers discussions within the EU about who could represent the Union in potential negotiations with Russia to be inappropriate.
"Before Europe decides who will represent us, we must first agree on the main message, and only then discuss the question of who exactly will deliver it."
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