Two Ukrainian drones stray into Estonia and Latvia, with one hitting a power station
Two Ukrainian military drones strayed into the airspace of Estonia and Latvia via Russia before one slammed into a power station.
Authorities in both NATO member nations said the drones were believed to be part of a wider Ukrainian strike on Russian territory that veered off course.
The incidents come just days after Lithuania reported that another stray Ukrainian drone had crashed into a lake on Monday.
Despite the dramatic scenes, there were no reports of injuries or damage from the drone strike on Estonia's Auvere power station, located just 2km from the Russian border, the Estonian government said.
'The drone was not directed at Estonia. This is a concrete consequence of Russia's full-scale war of aggression,' Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a post on X.
Justice Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta told local media on Wednesday morning that the government is to convene for an emergency session concerning a security incident.
Generator Enefit Power says there is no immediate damage to the power plant, while the incident will not have a significant impact on the Estonian electricity system.
In Latvia, President Edgars Rinkevics confirmed the drone that crashed on the country's territory was Ukrainian and part of an attack on Russian targets, according to public broadcaster LSM.
A part of a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle, which according to the Latvian National Armed Forces, flew into Latvian airspace and crashed in Kraslavas region, Latvia
The object that entered Latvia detonated at around 2.30am, he said, having been detected by Latvian radar a little over 10 minutes earlier
Early warning systems detected a sound resembling an explosion in the Krāslava region, LSM added.
Egils Leščinskis, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Latvian National Armed Forces, said that it had been a restless night for air defense units.
The object that entered Latvia detonated at around 2.30am, he said, having been detected by Latvian radar a little over 10 minutes earlier.
'The aircraft most likely veered off course or was affected by electromagnetic warfare measures while protecting some technically important objects,' Leščinskis noted when asked whether the flight trajectory was intentional.
The ISS security agency stressed that unauthorised members of the public must not visit the crash site and must keep their distance from anything resembling drone debris, as wreckage could be potentially hazardous due to the risk of explosion.
Officials also revealed that a third drone briefly entered Latvian airspace via Belarus before flying back into Russia.
The latest incursions unfolded at roughly the same time Russian officials claimed a Ukrainian drone attack had ignited fires at oil facilities in the Baltic Sea ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga - key export hubs near Estonia and Finland.
Kyiv has intensified its drone campaign against Russian oil refineries and export infrastructure in recent weeks, aiming to weaken Moscow's war economy as US-brokered peace talks have stalled.
Earlier this week, Lithuania's prime minister said a military drone that crashed into a lake in the country had also originated from Ukraine and was intended to strike Russian oil exports before going astray.
'The war, provoked by the aggressor Russia, has gotten us to this point, with drones falling on the territories of all three Baltic states within 48 hours,' Lithuania's Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said in a statement on Wednesday.
'It is obvious that air defence is a challenge not only in Lithuania, but throughout NATO,' he said.
This is not the first Ukrainian drone to cross into Estonian airspace.
Last August, a Ukrainian attack drone crashed in a field in southern Estonia, having flown off course during an attack on Ust-Luga.
