Ukrainian UAVs sometimes cross into the airspace of Finland and the Baltic states during attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Estonia is addressing this issue with Ukraine.
Details
According to the Estonian outlet ERR, the Estonian government expects Ukraine to improve control over its UAVs. The concern follows several incidents in recent months when drones violated the airspace of Baltic countries.
Since January 2026, Ukraine has been targeting Russian oil facilities located along the Baltic Sea coast. There have been cases when drones entered the airspace of the Baltic states as well as Finland. The likely reason is Russian electronic warfare jamming.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that although Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia and strike back, the Estonian government is concerned that more serious accidents could occur. On May 3, a Ukrainian drone briefly entered Estonian airspace.
“(…) Russia could take control of Ukrainian drones and send them toward us, somewhere where there could also be civilian casualties,” Tsahkna said.
He added that Russia fears NATO and therefore does not want to escalate the war further. According to him, Estonia has discussed the risks with Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Position
On May 8, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented on the situation on social media. He wrote that Ukraine had not directed drones toward Latvia. According to him, the competent authorities of both countries are exchanging information. Ukrainian specialized agencies are working to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Sybiha called the incidents unintentional and expressed apologies to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. He noted that the cases in which drones crossed into the airspace of these countries were caused by Russian electronic warfare systems redirecting Ukrainian drones.
“If there is a confirmation that those were Ukrainian drones that were deliberately knocked off course and directed toward Latvia by Russia’s electronic warfare, we will offer our most sincere apologies to our Latvian friends,” Sybiha wrote.
He also noted that, on the instructions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyiv may send expert groups to the Baltic states. The goal is to help Baltic partners strengthen air security.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that during the night of May 8 and the following morning, Ukraine attacked several Russian regions and occupied Crimea.
