Herem calls for more detailed air threat alerts

Estonian Defence Minister Martin Herem said several ministries are working to make air threat alerts more specific, so people can see which locations may be affected and plan accordingly. He spoke on ERR’s morning programme Terevisioon.

Herem said residents should receive more than a siren and a general message. A visual alert could show whether a threat is approaching places such as Krabi, Võru, Kohila or Rapla. He said the work was already under way and he hoped it would make progress in the next six months.

Herem cited Ukraine as an example, where people can use an app to see what type of drone is in the air, its direction and its predicted route. Some apps can also estimate when it will reach its next point, he said.

Herem said NATO air defence aircraft were airborne over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania before drones entered their airspace. But shooting down a drone is not always possible or advisable. A low-flying drone may be positioned against a backdrop of civilians or buildings, and firing near the Russian border could also be unsafe. Sleet and a drone’s small heat signature can create additional technical difficulties, he said.

Estonia’s armed forces have been on heightened readiness because of drones since spring, Herem said. The country has sensors and weapons available on the ground, and information-sharing with Finland, Latvia and Lithuania is working well, he added.

Herem said Estonia had not authorised Ukraine or any other country to use its airspace, and Ukraine had never requested permission. Asked how Estonia was handling the recent incident involving Ukraine, he said the countries were coordinating.

Herem said he had no new information to share about an incident involving a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday night. Estonia had not seen evidence that the ship was attacked, he said. The available information was that an explosion occurred, smoke later came from the vessel and it sailed back towards Russia. Ukraine has said it attacked the ship.

Commenting on the attack on Ust-Luga that night, Herem said Russian air defences had been under significant pressure. Public information indicated Russia had suffered losses, which he said was not unusual during an operation of that kind. He described the Ukrainian attack as large-scale and well organised.