Appearance of drones in Baltic Region direct consequence of Russia's illegal aggressive war against Ukraine – Estonian FM
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna has said that Estonia will not succumb to intimidation and provocations by Russia, noting that the appearance of drones in the Baltic Region is a direct consequence of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
"Russia continues to spread false accusations, threats and deliberate provocations. Let us be absolutely clear: Estonia has not allowed its territory or airspace to be used for attacks against Russia. These claims are false and Russia knows it," he said on the X social network on Thursday.
He also said "the appearance of drones in Baltic region is a direct consequence of Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has the right to defend itself against the aggressor and strike military targets sustaining Russia’s war machine."
"Estonia will not be intimidated by propaganda or threats. A threat against one NATO Ally is a threat against the whole Alliance, and our Allies stand united behind us," the head of the Estonian foreign ministry said.
Earlier in the day, Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said that Lithuania has not provided its airspace to any of the warring states and has no intention of doing so.
Russian media recently published claims that the Baltic states might allow their airspace to be used by Ukrainian drones, allegedly threatening the security of Kaliningrad.
NATO representatives rejected these reports as disinformation, saying that Ukrainian drones likely entered the Baltic region after being knocked off course by Russian electronic warfare systems.
As reported, the drones that fell in Latvia on May 7 were Ukrainian UAVs that went off course under the influence of Russian electronic warfare. Also, in recent weeks, Ukrainian drones flying to attack facilities in Russia have repeatedly entered the airspace of Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland.