Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has informed that NATO fighters have shot down a drone that entered Estonian airspace over Lake Võrtsjärv, writes ERR News.
Pevkur informed “ERR News” that the Estonians received a warning from their Latvian colleagues, and then the drone was spotted on radar moving over southern Estonia: “We activated the necessary measures, and a fighter on a Baltic airspace patrol mission shot down the drone.”
According to the minister, the exact details of the incident are still being clarified, but the contact occurred over Lake Võrtsjärv. The wreckage of the crashed drone is being searched for, and it is expected that it will be on land rather than in the water. There is currently no information about civilian damage, but representatives of various institutions are heading to the scene.
Pevkur said that the threat has now ended, and there are no indications of any other unauthorized drones in Estonian airspace. The minister reminded that the military exercises Kevadtorm are taking place in southern Estonia, which means that drones are also being used, so residents should keep this in mind if they spot a drone. At the same time, if there is any doubt, drones should be reported.
People in several Estonian counties received a cellular broadcast notification about the emergency,
and according to the notification, the threat existed in Tartu, Jõgeva, Viljandi, Valga, Võru and Põlva counties. At 12.55, the threat was reported to have ended. An airspace threat was also declared in Latvia shortly before noon.
Drones attacked in northeastern Russia late Tuesday morning as evidenced by the closure of St. Petersburg and Pskov airports. The Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya reported at around 11:00 local time that temporary restrictions on operations at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport were in place. This was reportedly necessary for security reasons.
Shortly before that, Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko declared a drone alert. At 11:48 Drozdenko reported on social media that the Russian Air Force had shot down two drones over the region.
At around 4:00 AM, the Interfax news agency reported that Pskov airport had been suspended. Russian airports are usually closed during attacks by Ukrainian drones.
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