In Estonia, a fighter jet shot down a Ukrainian strike drone, which had apparently strayed, for the first time over the country's territory. Amid the recent events, an air alert was declared in parts of Estonia.
Points of attention
- This event happened halfway between Estonia's eastern border with Russia and the coast of the Gulf of Riga.
- The Armed Forces of Estonia and Latvia issued an air threat warning in the south of the country later that day.
Estonian air defense announced the shooting down of an air target
An official statement on this matter was made by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
According to the latter, a “stray” drone that flew into his country’s airspace was destroyed by fighter jets patrolling over the Baltic countries.
The head of the defense ministry clarified that this happened over Lake Võrtsjärv — in the central-southern part of the country — halfway between its eastern border with the Russian Federation and the coast of the Gulf of Riga.
What is important to understand is that we are talking about a section of territory that is located 80 km from the border with Russia.
"This is the first time we have shot down a drone on our own," Hanno Pevkur officially confirmed.
According to the Minister of Defense, it is most likely a Ukrainian UAV that got lost on its way to targets in Russia.
By the way, after noon on May 19, the Armed Forces of Estonia and Latvia announced an air threat warning in the south of the country.
