Estonia, Latvia struck by drones coming from Russian airspace

A drone entering from Russia struck a power plant in Estonia, while a second drone fell on the territory of Latvia, authorities said Wednesday, in incidents highlighting growing spillover risks from the war in Ukraine.Estonia’s Internal Security Service (ISS) said the drone hit a chimney at the Auvere power plant in the country’s northeast, near the border city of Narva. The facility is operated by Enefit Power. “No one was injured in the incident,” the ISS said, confirming that the drone had entered Estonian airspace from Russia. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the case.ISS Director General Margo Palloson linked the incident to the broader regional conflict, warning, “These are the effects of Russia’s large-scale war of aggression,” adding concern about similar incidents occurring in the future.At the same time, based on preliminary information, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said on her X account that a drone had fallen on its territory, with early indications suggesting it may have been Ukrainian in origin. Latvia’s air force said it tracked an unmanned aerial vehicle entering from Russia, and its early warning systems detected a sound resembling an explosion in the Kraslava region, near the border with Belarus.Authorities later confirmed that no injuries or damage were reported and that the drone’s wreckage had been recovered.The incidents coincided with overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian infrastructure, including the key Baltic port of Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland. The region lies relatively close to Saint Petersburg, making the Baltic states a potential flight path for drones targeting northwestern Russia.Officials in both Estonia and Latvia said the incidents underscore how the Russia-Ukraine conflict is increasingly affecting neighbouring countries, even without direct targeting.