Drone Incursions Spark Security Crisis Along NATO's Baltic and Finnish Borders
Timeline of Drone Incidents and Security Responses
August 14 (Reuters) - Military drones straying into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are stoking concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO's northern borders with Russia.
As Ukraine steps up long-range attacks on Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports, some of its drones have missed their targets and led to security warnings in neighbouring countries. In the case of Latvia, it led to a government collapse.
Recent Drone Incidents: Chronological Overview
Following is a timeline of recent drone incidents involving Finland and the three Baltic states:
March 2024: Initial Incursions and Responses
March 25 - Two stray Ukrainian military drones enter Estonia and Latvia via Russia. One hits a chimney at Estonia's Auvere power station, near the Russian border, and another crash-lands in Latvia.
Lithuania had earlier reported a Ukrainian drone crashing into a lake.
Finnish Airspace Violations
March 29 to 30 - Finland reports a suspected territorial violation by unmanned aerial vehicles in its southeast and deploys F/A-18 fighter jets. One flying object is identified as a Ukrainian AN-196 drone.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says strong Russian electronic jamming could explain drones drifting into Finnish airspace.
Estonia and Latvia Border Activity
March 31 - Estonia and Latvia detect foreign drone activity near their borders with Russia, and the Finnish border guard finds a drone on its territory. Estonia discovers drone debris in Tartu County.
April 1 - Estonia's armed forces say drones detected in the country appear to have come from Ukraine and to have been intended for Russia.
May 2024: Escalation and Political Fallout
May 7 - Latvia and Lithuania call on NATO to strengthen air defences after two suspected stray drones cross from Russia and crash in Latvia. One explodes at an oil storage facility in the Latvian region of Rezekne, damaging four empty oil tanks.
May 10 - Andris Spruds resigns as Latvia's defence minister after Prime Minister Evika Silina says anti-drone systems had not been deployed fast enough. Ukraine says the drones were Ukrainian but had been diverted by Russian electronic warfare.
May 14 - Silina resigns as prime minister, triggering the collapse of Latvia's coalition government after Spruds' Progressives party withdraws support.
Public Safety Measures and NATO Response
May 15 - Finnish authorities warn 1.8 million people in the wider Helsinki region to stay indoors because of suspected drone activity, and suspend air traffic at the capital airport while scrambling fighter jets.
President Alexander Stubb says there is no direct military threat to Finland.
May 17 to 18 - Explosives are found near the debris of a suspected Ukrainian military drone that crashed in Lithuania, near the Latvian border and Belarus.
May 19 - A Romanian NATO fighter jet shoots down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia after it enters Estonian airspace from Russia.
Ukraine apologises to Estonia and other Baltic allies, saying Russia redirected the drone through electronic warfare, and denies using Latvian or Estonian territory to launch strikes on Russia.
May 20 - Lithuania issues an "air danger warning", tells people in Vilnius to take shelter and suspends traffic at the capital's airport over a drone in its airspace.
Lithuanian lawmakers seek refuge underground at parliament, while train traffic is suspended and schools and kindergartens take children to shelters.
May 21 - Latvia's armed forces say at least one drone is flying in the country's airspace, NATO fighter jets are seeking to combat the threat, and people in regions bordering Russia and Belarus should take shelter.
June–August 2024: Ongoing Threats and Preventive Actions
June 3 - Latvia and Estonia issue warnings overnight in regions bordering Russia, asking residents to seek shelter if they observe any suspected drone activity.
Latvia says NATO has scrambled fighter jets in response.
June 8 - A French NATO fighter jet shoots down a drone in Latvia's airspace.
June 10 - Fearing drone incursions, tourists are cancelling visits to Latvian regions bordering Russia, officials say. The Baltic country's new prime minister, Andris Kulbergs, states that he will spend his summer holiday in the affected area.
July 2 to 28 - Finland imposes a series of temporary airspace and maritime restrictions off the country's coast near the Russian border.
These precautionary measures are taken "so that we can ensure the authorities are able to operate if drones were to stray into the area", the military says on July 28.
August 14 - Jets on a NATO defence mission shoots down a drone that entered Latvia's airspace, the country's armed forces say.
Finland temporarily imposed airspace and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland as a precautionary measure against possible drones, its defence forces say.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Jesus Calero, Jagoda Darlak and Elviira Luoma; Editing by Peter Graff, Jan Harvey and Anna Ringstrom)
