Estonian authorities find crashed drone, suspects to be Ukrainian

(MENAFN) Estonian authorities have found the wreckage of a drone in a southern field, suspected to be a Ukrainian combat UAV aimed at Russian targets. The discovery was made by a local farmer on Sunday, according to Margo Palloson, head of Estonia’s Internal Security Service (ISS/KAPO), who spoke at a press conference on Tuesday.

The drone exploded in the open, causing no injuries or property damage. Palloson said preliminary data suggests the UAV may have been diverted from its intended Russian targets due to GPS jamming and electronic warfare measures. He emphasized that there is no indication the drone was of Russian origin.

The device shattered into small fragments, leaving a clearly visible post-explosion crater. Authorities are still investigating its origin, noting it could have flown from either Lithuanian or Russian airspace.

If confirmed, this would be the first instance of a stray military drone reaching Estonia since the start of the Ukraine conflict. Latvia and Lithuania have previously reported similar UAV crashes. Earlier this month, Lithuania discovered a Russian Gerbera drone, a smaller variant of the Geran-2 kamikaze UAV, which had entered its territory from Belarus. Russian military officials have not commented on the incident.

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