Ukraine proposes expert mission to Baltic states following drone incidents
Ukrainian serviceman with Leleka-100 reconnaissance drone (photo: facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua)
Ukraine considers sending its experts to the Baltic states to strengthen air security, following a series of drone-related incidents near NATO borders, according to ERR.
The outlet says Kyiv has already contacted the Estonian Embassy in Ukraine regarding possible cooperation. However, the exact details of the initiative are still being clarified.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the government expects Ukraine, first and foremost, to improve control over its own drone flights.
"Certainly, the easiest way for the Ukrainians to keep their drones away from our territory is to control their activities better," he stressed.
Interest in the topic has increased after several incidents in the Baltic region. In Latvia, for example, authorities recently reported a potential aerial threat after two drones crashed and an oil storage facility was damaged.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Tallinn supports Ukraine's right to strike Russian targets, but authorities are concerned about risks to NATO territory.
According to him, there is a danger that Russia could intercept Ukrainian drones and redirect them toward the Baltic states.
"If they operate very close to NATO borders, then if Russia were to deploy a missile system or something similar that could end up in NATO territory, Russia actually fears NATO, and in such a case, Russia simply does not want to escalate the military conflict. At the same time, however, it is dangerous in another sense that Russia could take control of Ukrainian drones and send them toward us, somewhere where there could also be civilian casualties," Tsahkna said.
At the same time, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds noted that Ukraine is unlikely to share detailed information about its strike plans with partners, as such data is operational in nature.
"If we talk about specific cases and flight paths, Ukraine must decide whether to inform us or not. In general, this is operational information," he emphasized.
The media noted that Ukraine continues to strike Russian ports in the Baltic Sea, making it difficult to fully avoid such drone incidents.
Estonian security expert Rainer Saks believes Baltic states should take a more active role in coordinating with Ukraine, rather than waiting only for initiatives from Kyiv.
Last week, the defense ministers of Estonia and Ukraine already discussed the situation after a drone briefly entered Estonian airspace.
According to Pevkur, several technical solutions are being considered to mitigate risks.
"It is possible to alter the trajectory, it is possible to control drone flights through so-called kill switches built into the drones, meaning automatic destruction systems — if it is seen that a drone is deviating from its course, then it is possible to destroy that drone remotely and automatically," he added.
Drones in Latvia and Finland
On the night of May 7, unidentified drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia. The country's air force reported that two drones crashed.
According to local media, one of the drones hit an oil storage tank in the city of Rēzekne.
Meanwhile, Finland did not intercept drones that entered its airspace, as they were flying too close to the border with Russia.
