[54567] Drone crisis in the Baltics: Estonia and Latvia demand Ukraine tighten control over aircraft

Growing tension surrounding the penetration of Ukrainian drones into the airspace of Baltic states

Against the backdrop of a series of incidents in which drones launched by Ukraine crossed the border into the airspace of the Baltic states, Estonia demanded that Ukraine tighten control over its aircraft. The Estonian Minister of Defense, Hanno Pevkur, was quoted in ERR as saying that "for the Ukrainian side, the simplest way to keep their drones away from our territory is more effective control over their operations." According to him, Ukraine should consider implementing "kill switch" technology for self-destruction in the event of course deviation.

The incidents, which included, among others, a drone falling on an oil facility in Latvia, led to immediate political consequences: the Latvian Minister of Defense, Andris Sprūds, announced his resignation. According to reports from DW Главное, which is identified with a critical stance toward Russia, the step was taken following the Prime Minister's demand and due to criticism of the slow response of Latvian defense systems. Conversely, channels identified with Russian stances, such as Kotsnews, presented the resignation as a manifestation of the weakness of the Western military echelon.

In Ukraine, a different narrative for the crisis is being offered. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed, as reported in AZfront, that the deviation of the drones from their original course is a result of "interference by Russia's electronic warfare (EW) assets." Kyiv expressed readiness to send military experts to the Baltic states to assist in strengthening air security and investigating the events.

At the same time, reports in WarGonzo and other pro-Russian sources point to the continuation of intense fighting on the front, under the constraints of "ceasefire agreements" that both sides accuse the other of violating. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed more than 16,000 violations by Ukraine in recent days, while Ukrainian channels emphasized the continuation of Russian strikes deep within Ukraine, including the use of a variety of attack drones.