NATO F-16 shoots down suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia

On 19 May 2026, at 12:14 local time, a Romanian Air Force F-16 conducting NATO Baltic Air Policing from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania shot down an intruding drone over southern Estonia with a single missile, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported. The unmanned aircraft had entered Estonian airspace from the direction of Russia and flew into the Lake Võrtsjärv area, where it was intercepted. Estonian radar tracked the drone after advance warning from Latvia, and Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said authorities then activated air-policing measures before the fighter brought it down.

Debris from the drone fell at the edge of a field near Kablaküla village in Põltsamaa Municipality, roughly 30 meters from the nearest home, according to ERR. No injuries or civilian damage were reported, and residents were warned not to touch the wreckage. The Romanian fighter was flown by Lieutenant Colonel Costel-Alexandru Pavelescu, and Romania's acting defence minister Radu Miruță confirmed the interception came during a routine Baltic Air Policing flight.

Estonian officials assessed the drone as most likely of Ukrainian origin, saying it veered off course amid heavy Russian electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming. Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov apologized in a call with Pevkur, and Ukrainian officials said Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian drones into the Baltics through electronic interference. It followed the September 2025 Russian drone incursion into Poland, when Polish and allied aircraft shot down several Russian drones over NATO territory.

Estonian authorities assess the drone as most likely a Ukrainian long-range strike drone that strayed off course after Russian electronic interference, not a deliberate Ukrainian action against Estonia; Russia/Ukraine roles are assessed rather than legally proven. The shoot-down fits a widening 2026 pattern of drone spillover into NATO territory, alongside a stray Ukrainian drone in Latvia's Krāslava region and a Russian Geran-2 strike in Galați, Romania. It followed the September 2025 shoot-down of several Russian drones over Poland, the first NATO use of weapons over allied territory since 2022. Details may change as Estonian authorities publish further findings.