Ukrainian Drone Crashes in Estonia, Russian GPS Jamming Blamed
A Ukrainian combat drone crashed in southern Estonia early Sunday after likely being diverted by Russian electronic warfare, Estonian authorities said Tuesday.
According to authorities, fragments of the drone were discovered Monday afternoon in a field in Elva Parish in Tartu County by a local farmer, who reported the wreckage to emergency services. No injuries or structural damage were reported.
“We believe this was a Ukrainian drone intended for targets in Russia that veered off course due to Russian GPS jamming,” said Internal Security Service (ISS) Director Margo Palloson. “There is no indication the drone was Russian.”
Officials suspect it was part of a Ukrainian strike on Russian infrastructure in the Leningrad region, including near the port of Ust-Luga. Estonia’s border guard also tracked another drone that crashed inside Russia near Lake Peipus.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the crash reflects increasing electronic interference near NATO’s eastern edge.
“Strong Russian GPS jamming and spoofing are pushing drones off course. One day it’s Lithuania, the next Latvia, and now Estonia. These objects fly at very low altitudes to avoid detection by Russia, and that’s precisely why they are difficult to detect,” he told the Estonian news outlet Postimees.
Estonia has experienced previous GPS signal disruptions attributed to Russia. In April 2024, two planes flying from Finland to Estonia encountered such interference and were forced to return to Helsinki.
“Russia has long used GPS jamming and other EW tactics to disrupt regional air and sea traffic,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on Monday. “Estonia will respond by building layered air defence, including a drone wall.”
The ISS and the Prosecutor’s Office have launched an investigation into the incident. The Ukrainian government has not commented on the report.
