A Romanian F-16 shot down a drone over Estonia on Tuesday after analyses showed its trajectory risked entering populated Nato territory, Estonian officials said — the latest incident blamed on Russian electronic jamming diverting long‑range Ukrainian drones.
A local resident told Estonian public broadcaster ERR he saw two Nato fighter jets in the area before a loud bang; the drone crashed about 30 metres from the nearest house. Estonia’s defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said authorities decided to shoot the drone down after examining its flight path.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi apologised to Estonia and the Baltic states for the unintended incursions and said Kyiv is cooperating with partners to investigate and prevent future incidents. He blamed Russia for the diversion, saying Ukrainian strikes were aimed at legitimate targets inside Russia and that Kyiv does not seek to use Baltic airspace for operations.
Estonian officials and other Baltic leaders have attributed a string of similar incidents to Russian electronic warfare forcing drones off course. Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said the only reason Ukrainian drones appear over Estonian territory is Russian jamming, and Tallinn has urged Kyiv to be more cautious with drone routes. Pevkur echoed that Ukraine should ensure attack trajectories stay as far from Nato airspace as possible.
The episode follows other tense events in the region — including a political crisis in Latvia after a related drone incident — and comes amid Moscow’s claims that Ukraine planned attacks launched from the Baltics, which Latvian and Estonian officials deny. Russian foreign intelligence warned of “just retribution” on Tuesday. Additional reporting by Jakub Krupa.