Estonian air defense forces shot down a drone over Lake Vortsjärv on the morning of May 19 after it entered the country’s airspace, Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told Delfi. “This is the first time we have shot down a drone ourselves,” he said.

Preliminary data indicated the drone was Ukrainian and had been heading toward targets in Russia, Pevkur said. The air force and the security police are to establish the full details of the incident, Delfi reported.

The Defense Ministry issued a drone warning for southern Estonia at noon. It was lifted about an hour later.

Swedish Air Force fighter jets were scrambled in response to the drone in Estonian airspace, Delfi reported, citing Flightradar24 data.

Drones have repeatedly entered the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland over the past several months. According to Baltic authorities, these were Ukrainian drones that had lost their bearings due to Russian electronic warfare. Russia, in turn, accuses the Baltic states of allowing their airspace to be used by Ukrainian drones.

In Latvia, drones that entered the country’s airspace triggered a government crisis and the resignation of the cabinet. Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned after the military’s response — failing to track the drones, failing to issue timely warnings, and failing to shoot them down — drew sharp criticism. Prime Minister Evika Siliņa acknowledged that “something went wrong” in the government’s response and also resigned.