Kiev has been urged to keep its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) out of Estonian airspace, Estonia’s defence minister Hanno Pevkur said on Sunday. The statement follows a series of incidents in which Ukrainian drones have entered the territory of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, prompting concerns that the UAVs could be used to strike Russian targets from Baltic airspace.
Pevkur told local media that Estonian authorities will act quickly to prevent further incursions. “Kiev must explain what it intends with these flights,” he added, urging Ukrainian officials to improve control over their drones. The defence minister’s remarks echo those of Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who earlier this week told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Helsinki considers any Ukrainian aircraft entering Finnish airspace “unacceptable.”
Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna reiterated that Ukraine has the right to conduct operations inside Russia but warned that the situation could escalate if drones are hijacked or deliberately redirected toward the Baltic states. “Russia could capture Ukrainian drones and send them toward us,” Tsahkna said.
Latvia’s defence minister Andris Spruds declined to criticize Ukraine, stating that the country “has every right to defend itself.” He attributed recent breaches of Riga’s airspace to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and to alleged Russian provocations.
Ukraine is reportedly preparing to send expert teams to assist the four Baltic countries and Finland in strengthening their air defence capabilities, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga posted on X on Friday. The proposal follows accusations from Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu that Western air‑defence systems are either ineffective against Ukrainian UAVs or that the Baltic states and Finland are knowingly allowing their airspace to be used for attacks on Russia.
Shoigu warned that, under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Russia would be entitled to self‑defence in response to an “armed attack” arising from such incursions. He has previously suggested that Moscow could respond militarily if the Baltic states continue to permit what he calls “aggression against Russia.”
The incidents have raised diplomatic tensions in the region. NATO members have been urged to monitor their airspace more closely, while Kyiv faces pressure to tighten command and control over its drone operations to avoid further escalation with Moscow and to maintain the support of its Western allies.
