Estonian Air Force commander says drone crossed border in southeast
A drone crossed Estonia’s border in the southeast of the country on Tuesday morning, while another drone was heading toward the border city of Narva. Due to a possible air threat, a public warning was issued in the country, ERR News reports, citing Estonian Air Force Commander Brigadier General Riivo Valge.
Warning and fighter jet scramble
The warning was sent to residents of eight regions of Estonia between 03:00 and 04:00. In response, Turkish Air Force fighter jets stationed at Ämari Air Base as part of NATO’s rotational air defense mission were scrambled. According to the Estonian Defence Forces, the threat had passed by 05:30.
Valge said that at around 02:00, it became known about drone strikes that Ukraine was carrying out in the west of the Russian Federation, the aggressor state. Around a dozen drones were then detected near the Estonian border. At approximately 03:00, one of them headed toward Narva, prompting an alert and the activation of ground-based air defense units.
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Second incident in the southeast
The drone that was flying toward Narva did not enter Estonian airspace and turned back toward Russia. About half an hour later, another incident occurred in the southeast of the country: another drone crossed the Estonian border and remained near the border area. According to the Air Force commander, its behavior was unpredictable.
After that, the Estonian Defence Forces issued a second warning in the southern part of the country, for the counties of Tartu, Jõgeva, Viljandi, Valga, Võru and Põlva. Valge noted that the drones did not crash on Estonian territory and that the fighter jets did not open fire. As of the morning, the situation was calm, he said.
