Estonia on Air Alert: Drones Enter Airspace Amid Ukraine Strikes

Estonia was placed on air alert overnight on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, after several drones strayed into its airspace during Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets near the Baltic Sea. The Defence Forces said the danger had passed by 6am, but the episode deepened concern in a country already rattled by a similar incident less than a week earlier.

The latest threat arose as Ukraine continued overnight strikes on Russian infrastructure in Leningrad Oblast, including the Ust-Luga port area. According to Colonel Uku Arold, head of strategic communications for the Estonian Defence Forces, Russia sought to repel the attacks and likely used measures that caused some drones to lose their bearings and veer towards Estonia.

Several drones were detected both outside and inside Estonian airspace, prompting a precautionary warning across large parts of the country. Arold said none were shot down over Estonian territory and that the immediate risk of a drone falling in Estonia was now low. The warning was expanded in stages during the night, first covering Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru counties, then parts of southern and central Estonia and later Harju, Rapla and Pärnu counties. Authorities stressed that this was not an exercise.

NATO Aircraft Deployed

For many residents, the night’s tension was made audible by NATO fighter jets taking off from Ämari air base. Arold said on the morning programme on Vikerraadio, Estonia’s public radio, that allied aircraft had been searching for the drones and protecting Estonian airspace.

What people heard was the whisper of freedom

Colonel Uku Arold, Estonian Defence Forces

Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said Estonia had operated at maximum readiness, supported by allies in Lithuania, Finland and Sweden, while Italy continued its Baltic air policing mission over the country. Portugal was due to take over that role on Tuesday.

Previous Incident at Auvere Power Plant

The latest alert came only days after an incident on March 25, 2026, when a drone entering from Russian airspace struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant at 3:43am in north-eastern Estonia. No one was injured and the impact did not cause significant disruption to Estonia’s electricity system.

According to BBC reporting, Ukrainian drones entered Estonian and Latvian air spaces from Russia overnight, with one hitting infrastructure and another crashing on land. One struck the chimney of the power plant in Auvere, Estonia, while another exploded in the southern Kraslava region of Latvia. No major damage or injuries were reported in either country.

The incident occurred around the same time as Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on the Russian port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea, some 25km from the Estonian border. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Ust-Luga was attacked in three waves between 03:00 and 08:00 local time. Baltic air patrols were activated and Estonians received notifications on their phones warning of a drone threat.

Estonia’s security police chief, Margo Palloson, said it was a Ukrainian drone that deviated from its course, which was possibly affected in Russian airspace. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs also confirmed the drone that hit Latvian territory was Ukrainian.

Civil Aviation Disrupted

The night’s events briefly disrupted civil aviation. A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Tartu turned back over central Estonia, while the morning Tartu-Helsinki service was cancelled. Tallinn Airport said one departing flight had also been affected after air traffic procedures were introduced because of an unidentified object in Estonian airspace.

Pevkur also commented on reports from Kastre rural municipality in Tartu County that a drone may have crashed and exploded there. He said the information was being checked together with the Police and Border Guard Board, although the Rescue Board said before 8am that it had found nothing suspicious.

Regional Context

Estonia and Ukraine established diplomatic relations on January 4, 1992. Relations between the two countries have remained consistently close, largely due to shared concerns about the Russian Federation. Estonia supports Ukraine’s accession negotiations with the European Union and NATO.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Estonia, as one of the EU countries, imposed sanctions on Russia. Estonia joined other countries in spring 2022 in declaring a number of Russian diplomats persona non grata and introduced a ban on Russian language media channels.

Latvia’s Defence Minister, Andris Spruds, cut short a visit to Ukraine and returned to Latvia in the wake of the drone incident. Latvia’s deputy chief of the Joint Staff, Egils Lescinskis, said the drone most likely veered off course or was affected by electromagnetic warfare measures protecting some technically important objects. Drones can sometimes miss their targets when drone jamming systems interfere with their GPS signal.

On Tuesday morning, Estonian officials said the immediate threat had passed and that people could continue with their normal activities, including going to school and work. At the same time, the overnight alert underlined Estonia’s growing exposure to the wider regional effects of the war.