In the early hours, Ukrainian drones intruded into the airspace of Estonia and Latvia, leading to minor infrastructural damage. One notable incident involved a drone hitting the chimney of a power plant located in Auvere, Estonia, while another drone exploded in the southern Kraslava region of Latvia.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or significant damage to the facilities. This occurrence aligned with a major drone attack executed by Ukraine on the Russian port of Ust-Luga, situated approximately 25 kilometers from the Estonian border.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed that Ust-Luga was struck in a three-wave attack between 03:00 and 08:00 local time. In response to the drone threats, Baltic air patrols were activated, and notifications were sent to citizens.
According to Estonian Security Police Chief Margo Palloson, the drone that crashed in Estonia likely deviated from its intended path while in Russian airspace. Latvian Prime Minister Edgars Rinkevics also verified that the drone responsible for the explosion in Latvia was of Ukrainian origin.
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds hastily returned to Latvia from a visit to Ukraine due to the incidents, while Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Egils Lescinskis stated that the drone might have been affected by electromagnetic warfare measures meant to protect significant technical areas.
Lesinski further explained that drones can malfunction if their GPS signals are disrupted by jamming systems. When questioned about resident safety, he acknowledged that complete safety is not guaranteed with ongoing military activities in neighboring regions.
Palloson warned that such incidents could recur, emphasizing the futility of establishing a barrier with Russia. A similar drone incident had occurred in Lithuania earlier in the week.
This uptick in drone activity illustrates the broader context of the ongoing conflict, as Ukraine ramps up its attacks on Russian energy installations with drone strikes targeting strategic sites.
