The Press Junction.
The Press Junction.
26 May 2026

NATO plane shoots down drone over Estonia

F-16 fighter jet taxiing after a flight demonstration in Paris Air Show 2025. The F-16 is an American made single engine multirole fighting jet aircraft under the production of Lockheed Martin, it is the world's most common fixed-wing aircraft in military service. The specific is a General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon belonging to the Hellenic Air Force - HAF. The F16 has the registration tail number 509, F-16C Block 52+ variant with serial number XK-10 from the 343 Squadron in Greece - Zeus Demo Team. Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France on June 2025 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto) © picture alliance / NurPhoto | Nicolas Economou

A Romanian NATO F-16 shot down a drone over Estonia on Tuesday. According to Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, it was probably a Ukrainian drone en route to Russia, which accidentally entered Estonian airspace. He reported this at a press conference.

Estonia immediately contacted Ukraine to make it clear that no permission had been given.

The incident is part of a broader trend: since Ukraine stepped up attacks on Russia in March, drones have been spotted more frequently in Baltic airspace. Ukraine argues that Russia is electronically diverting the course of its drones.

Another drone was also spotted in Latvia on Tuesday. On May 7, a similar incident there led to a cabinet crisis and the resignation of both Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and Defense Minister Andris Sprūd.

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