Residents say drone crossed Estonia and reached Põlva

Residents told ERR that a drone which crossed Estonia’s southeastern border overnight reached the city of Põlva, about 35 kilometres from the border. The Defence Forces have not said how far the drone flew into Estonian territory.

Two drones headed towards Estonia’s eastern border in the early hours of Tuesday. According to the Defence Forces, one drone that flew towards Narva turned back towards Russia and did not enter Estonian airspace. The second crossed into Estonian airspace in southeastern Estonia and remained near the border zone.

Several Põlva residents reported to ERR that the drone reached the city. One resident sent an audio recording made at 3:48 a.m. containing a sound resembling a drone. Another said a drone flew over Põlva after 4 a.m., followed a few minutes later by a jet. A third source said a drone flew over a house in Vardja village at about 3:30 a.m.

A Põlva resident said the sound of the drone could be heard over a lake in the city.

The Defence Forces said they could not comment on the drones’ exact flight paths or the locations and times at which the unmanned aircraft were detected for security reasons. Such information could allow conclusions to be drawn about Estonia’s air surveillance capabilities and coverage, the military said. It also noted that an audio recording alone cannot reliably establish whether the sound came from an unmanned aircraft.

Air Force Commander Brigadier General Riivo Valge confirmed on Tuesday morning that one drone briefly headed towards Narva from Russia and another crossed the border in southeastern Estonia about half an hour later. Air warnings were issued in parts of Estonia, as well as in Latvia’s Alūksne area and eastern Finland. NATO Baltic air-policing mission fighter jets were activated. The nationwide air warning was lifted shortly before 6 a.m.