Estonia said a NATO fighter jet shot down a drone that entered its airspace on Tuesday, with officials suspecting it was a Ukrainian drone diverted by Russian electronic jamming. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that a Romanian F-16 participating in NATO’s Baltic air policing mission intercepted the drone before debris landed in a marshy forest area near Põltsamaa. No injuries or property damage were reported.

Ukraine apologised to Estonia and the Baltic states, accusing Russia of intentionally redirecting Ukrainian drones launched at military targets inside Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said Moscow was using electronic warfare and propaganda to create tensions in the region. Estonia stressed that it had not granted permission for Ukrainian drones to use its airspace.

The incident comes amid rising security concerns in the Baltic region following several recent drone incursions into NATO member states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Russia has accused the Baltic nations of allowing Ukraine to launch attacks from their territories, claims strongly denied by all three countries. NATO members have increased military deployments and air patrols in Eastern Europe amid fears of further provocations linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.

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