NATO investigates drone incident in Estonia and declares readiness to respond to aerial threats
Kyiv • UNN
Romanian fighter jets destroyed a drone in the sky over Estonia during a NATO mission. The Alliance has launched an investigation and confirmed its readiness to defend its borders.
NATO has confirmed that it is investigating an incident involving a drone that entered Estonian airspace on May 19. The Alliance also stated its readiness to respond to any potential aerial threats. This was reported by The Guardian, according to UNN.
NATO declared its readiness to respond
NATO is ready and able to respond to any potential aerial threats
General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, stated that the Alliance's response to the incident in Estonia demonstrated the effectiveness of the collective defense system.
Everything worked exactly as our defense system should. We are still assessing the situation, but at first glance, it appears that everything worked
Grynkewich also commented on Russia's claims that NATO allegedly poses a threat to Moscow.
This is a standard Russian narrative. They constantly say that NATO acts offensively, but one only needs to read the treaty—NATO is a defensive alliance. We are not a threat to Russia, and they know it. If they considered us a threat, they would not have emptied the Leningrad Military District to invade Ukraine
The commander also reacted to Russian disinformation claiming that the Baltic states allegedly allow Ukrainian drones to use their airspace for attacks on the Russian Federation.
If we were allowing drones to fly through Baltic airspace to strike Russia, we wouldn't be shooting them down
Romanian F-16s shot down a drone over Estonia
Earlier, the Estonian Defense Forces reported that a drone entered the country's airspace from Russia in the southeastern part of Estonia and moved in a northeasterly direction.
According to the Estonian military, the drone was likely of Ukrainian origin.
The drone was intercepted by Romanian F-16 fighters based in Lithuania as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission. The aircraft fired one missile and destroyed the target near the town of Põltsamaa.
The operation took place under conditions of active Russian electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and signal jamming.
The operation was coordinated by the Latvian Air Force Control and Reporting Centre.
Latvia confirmed participation in the operation
Latvia's Prime Minister Evika Siliņa also confirmed the country's participation in the operation.
Latvia, together with Romania, helped neutralize a drone in Estonia
She added that the operation demonstrates the readiness of NATO allies for rapid coordination and response to security threats in the region.
Investigation opened in Estonia
Following the incident in Estonia, the Internal Security Service launched a criminal investigation under the article regarding threats to air traffic safety.