NATO fighter jet downs stray Ukrainian drone over Estonia

An F-16 combatant pitchy deployed with NATO aerial policing forces successful the Baltics changeable down what is believed to person been a stray Ukrainian drone implicit confederate Estonia connected Tuesday

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said that, fixed the drone’s trajectory, “we decided that we needed to instrumentality it down”.

“Most probably, contiguous we tin accidental that it was a drone that was, let’s say, meant to deed Russian targets.”

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said experts from Ukraine and Estonia were moving connected measures to forestall akin incidents successful the future.

“We apologise to Estonia and each our Baltic friends for specified unintended incidents. We person been and stay successful adjacent practice done our specialised institutions to get to the bosom of the substance successful each lawsuit and question ways to forestall them, including done the nonstop engagement of our adept groups.”

Tykhyi besides claimed that Russia was deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones into the Baltics utilizing physics warfare.

“Moscow does this connected purpose, unneurotic with intensified propaganda.”

“Intensified propaganda”

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said successful a connection connected Tuesday that Ukraine was preparing to motorboat drone attacks against Russia from the territory of the Baltic states and threatened “retaliation”.

Moscow claimed that Riga had agreed to fto Kyiv motorboat drones from Latvian territory “despite fears of becoming a people for retaliatory strikes by Moscow”.

“The primitive Russophobia of Latvia’s existent rulers proved stronger than their capableness for captious reasoning oregon their consciousness of self-preservation.”

Both Latvia and Ukraine denied the claims, calling them “yet different disinformation campaign”.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said Riga had “never fixed Ukraine support to usage its territory oregon airspace for antiaircraft strikes against Russia oregon immoderate different country”.

“We person explained this galore times connected the planetary stage. Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine has each close to support itself.”

Last week, Latvia’s authorities collapsed aft the premier curate resigned pursuing the defence minister’s departure implicit the handling of aggregate incidents involving stray drones suspected to person travel from Ukraine.

His enactment subsequently withdrew its enactment for the coalition.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry added that “contrary to Russian propaganda claims, neither Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania nor Finland has ever allowed the usage of its airspace for strikes against Russia. Furthermore, Ukraine has ne'er requested specified permission.”

“Ukraine exercises its close to self-defence nether Article 51 of the UN Charter. Our morganatic subject targets are located successful Russia, and we usage Russian airspace to scope them.”

The spokesperson besides said that Moscow had “no close to blasted Ukraine, the Baltic states oregon Finland for the consequences of its actions and, much broadly, its warfare of aggression”.

Russian threats against the Baltics

Moscow has repeatedly threatened Latvia and different Baltic states with what the Kremlin calls “retaliatory strikes” implicit Ukrainian drone attacks connected Russia.

The SVR present claims that “despite Latvia’s fears of becoming a people of a retaliatory onslaught by Moscow, the authorities successful Kyiv convinced Riga to hold to the operation”.

Moscow besides claims that servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces “have already been deployed to Latvia”.

“One tin lone pity the naivety of Latvia’s leaders,” Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said connected Tuesday, issuing a thinly veiled menace to Riga.

“It is worthy recalling that the coordinates of decision-making centres connected Latvian territory are good known, and the country’s NATO rank volition not support those who assistance terrorists from conscionable retribution.”

Since the commencement of its full-scale penetration of Ukraine, Moscow has repeatedly threatened what it calls “decision-making centres” successful Ukraine utilizing akin language.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian forces were preparing caller rocket and drone strikes against what the Kremlin described arsenic “decision-making centres”.

“Among these are astir 2 twelve governmental centres and subject bid posts,” Zelenskyy said connected 15 May.