Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 1, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 1, 2026
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Estonia reports that several Ukrainian drones, likely intended for targets in Russia, strayed into its airspace between March 30–31, with debris found in Tartu County. Finland also reported a Ukrainian drone crash near Kouvola. These incidents are viewed as inadvertent spillovers amid Russian electr
VILNIUS, April 1 (Reuters) - Drones detected in Estonia appear to have come from Ukraine and been intended for Russia, the Baltic country's armed forces said.
The violations come as Kyiv has intensified attacks on Russia's oil export infrastructure over the past month, including massive strikes on the Primorsk and Ust-Luga ports on the Baltic Sea.
Estonia had earlier said it detected drones inside and outside its airspace overnight on Monday into Tuesday, with broadcaster ERR reporting that drone debris was found.
An army spokesperson late on Tuesday said several drones that had strayed into Estonia were thought to have been launched from Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia near Estonia's borders.
The spokesperson said NATO's Baltic air policing mission had responded, without saying if any drones had crashed on Estonian territory.
"Such incidents are very likely to recur in the near future and are a direct consequence of Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine", they said.
Separately, Finnish police on Wednesday said a Ukrainian drone detected in Finland on Tuesday had been carrying explosives.
Latvian police also said on Wednesday they had launched an investigation after debris from a drone was found in the country earlier in the day.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told a press conference on Tuesday his country was working with the Baltics and Finland to prevent future incidents.
“We are immediately sharing all necessary information, and I can reassure you that we never aimed drones at these countries,” Sybiha said, adding that the incursions were the result of “conscious and deliberate actions by Russia".
On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone crashed in Finland, the first time the Ukraine war spilled onto Finnish soil.
Last week, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania reported drones of Ukrainian origin on their territory in connection with attacks on the Russian oil terminal.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm, Andrius Sytas in Vilnius, Yuliia Dysa, Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv, Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, editing by Louise Rasmussen, Alex Richardson and Keith Weir)
Estonia's armed forces said the drones were launched from Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia but strayed into Estonia.
Estonia reported finding debris from at least one drone inside its territory; the army did not confirm the exact number of crashes.
The NATO Baltic air policing mission responded to the drone threat when drones were detected in Estonian airspace.
Yes, drones of Ukrainian origin were also reported in Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania, linked to attacks on Russian targets.
Ukrainian officials said they are working closely with Baltic countries and Finland to share information and prevent future drone incursions.
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