The Ukrainian drone shot down in Estonia by a Romanian pilot would have been under the influence of Russian jamming systems
The incident in which a Romanian F-16 plane shot down a Ukrainian drone that had arrived in Estonian airspace would have been caused by Russia's electronic jamming systems, according to some Estonian officials.
A Romanian F-16 plane shot down a Ukrainian drone. PHOTO: X
The British publication writes that the drone would have been diverted from its original route due to Russian electronic interference, a phenomenon that has also been reported in the Baltic region in recent months, writes The Guardian.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the authorities decided to intercept the drone after analyzing its route.
“After analyzing her trajectory, we decided we had to take her down,” the Estonian official said.
According to witnesses, two NATO planes were seen flying over the area before the impact. The drone crashed about 30 meters from a residential building.
Estonia: “Incidents are caused by Russia's jamming”
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna claimed that the appearance of Ukrainian drones over the Baltic territory is a direct consequence of Moscow's electronic warfare.
“Estonia has not allowed its airspace to be used for attacks against Russia. Such incidents are related to Russian jamming activities”he declared.
In an interview with The Guardian publication, the Estonian official said that Russia is trying to provoke tensions between Western states and Ukraine.
“This is about the consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. (Russia's claims) are a desperate move to divide the West and get us to tell the Ukrainians to stop”said Margus Tsahkna.
Kiev apologizes and blames Moscow
And the Ukrainian authorities blamed the incident on Russia. The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Gheorghii Tîhî, said that Ukraine has never tried to use the Baltic airspace for attacks.
“We apologize to Estonia and all our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents”the official said.
He stated that Ukraine is exclusively targeting military targets in Russia and that the deviation of the drone would have been caused by Russian electronic interference.
Russia threatens the Baltic states
The incident comes after Russia's foreign intelligence service SVR accused Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on Russia and threatened to “retaliation“.
Baltic authorities have rejected Moscow's accusations. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said Russia's claims were false.
“Russia is lying about Latvia allowing a third country to use its territory and airspace to launch attacks against Russia or any other state”he wrote on the X platform.
The Guardian notes that similar incidents have recently occurred in the Baltic region amid the escalation of electronic warfare between Russia and Ukraine.
How the Romanian pilot shot down the drone diverted by the Russians in Estonia
The incident takes place shortly after an F-16 Fighting Falcon of the Romanian Air Force shot down, for the first time, a drone that had entered the Estonian airspace without authorization, during a NATO Air Police mission in the Baltic states. According to the information published by DefenseRomania, the Romanian aircraft destroyed the target using an air-to-air missile, and not the onboard cannon, which indicates the high level of risk of the operation and the strict procedures applied in such situations.
The Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, announced that the pilot involved in the mission is Captain Commander Pavelescu Costel-Alexandru, who is to be decorated for his intervention. The Romanian official stated that the pilot's success was appreciated by NATO allies, and the Estonian Minister of Defense, Hanno Pevkur, congratulated Romania for the way the incident was handled.
