Ukraine Apologizes After Estonian Jets Down Drone Diverted Into NATO Airspace

Estonian fighter jets shot down a Ukrainian drone that entered the country’s airspace on May 19, according to statements by Estonian officials reported by Delfi and comments from Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the drone was intercepted at 12:14 p.m. local time after crossing into Estonian territory. According to Delfi, the unmanned aircraft crashed in a swampy area, where authorities are currently searching for debris.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described the interception as evidence of “the effectiveness of NATO air defense” and stated that “Ukraine has every right to attack Russian military targets in order to reduce Russia’s ability to continue the war.”

At the same time, Tsahkna emphasized that Estonia does not allow its airspace to be used for attacks against Russia. “Such incidents are linked to Russia’s interference,” he said.

In a statement published on X, Estonian authorities thanked Latvia for providing early warning about the drone and said Estonian forces tracked it until NATO Baltic Air Policing aircraft shot it down.

Ukraine later confirmed that the drone belonged to Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that Russia has been deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones toward Baltic states using electronic warfare systems.

“Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian drones into Baltic airspace using its electronic warfare systems,” Tykhyi wrote. “Moscow is doing this intentionally while combining these actions with intensified propaganda.”

Tykhyi also issued an apology to Estonia and other Baltic countries over what he described as unintended incidents.

“We apologize to Estonia and all our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents,” he stated, adding that Ukrainian institutions are working with regional partners and expert groups to investigate each case and prevent similar situations in the future.

According to Tykhyi, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland “have never allowed their airspace to be used for strikes against Russia,” despite claims circulated by Russian state narratives. He also stated that Ukraine has never requested permission for such operations.

“Ukraine exercises its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter; our legitimate military targets are located in Russia, and we use Russian airspace to strike them,” Tykhyi said.

The incident came hours after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that Ukraine was allegedly preparing attacks against Russia from Latvian territory. Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian drone units were operating from Latvian military bases.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and Latvian officials rejected those claims, stating that Baltic states are not providing their territory or airspace for attacks against Russia.

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