The Auvere power plant in Estonia.image: eesti energia
Drones that flew into the airspace from Russia crashed in Estonia and Latvia.
March 25, 2026, 9:00 a.mMarch 25, 2026, 11:11 am
According to the Estonian domestic intelligence service, a drone crashed into the chimney of a power plant in the NATO member state.
The drone came from Russian airspace and hit the Auvere power plant in the Ida-Virumaa district at 3:43 a.m. The Estonian electricity grid was, according to the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) not damaged. Nobody was injured.
“According to current knowledge, the drone was not aimed at Estonia. Initial measures are currently being initiated and the investigation will clarify the precise circumstances,” said Attorney General Astrid Asi in a press release, according to ERR. The government called a special cabinet meeting over the incident.
“These are the consequences of Russia’s all-out war of aggression. We can assume that we will see more such incidents,” Margo Palloson, Director General of the Estonian Security Police, told ERR.
Another drone crashes in Latvia
According to the NATO armed forces, a drone also crashed in Latvia. Here too, the unmanned aircraft came from neighboring Russia. That’s what he reports public broadcasting in Latvia (LSM). The drone exploded on its own at around 2:30 a.m. in the village of Dobrocina in the Kraslava region – without an alert air force unit intervening.
Previously, at around 12:50 a.m. (local time), an object had already entered Latvian airspace from the Belarusian side, made a slight turn and then continued into Russian airspace.
The Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Latvian Armed Forces, Egils Lescinskis, does not assume any intended action by Russia here either. On Latvian television he says:
“The aircraft most likely went off course or was affected by electromagnetic warfare while trying to protect technically important objects.”
No threat to public safety
Military and emergency services are on site at the crash sites in Estonia and Latvia to collect and examine debris. There is no danger to the population or public safety, the reports said. It is still unclear whether these were Russian or Ukrainian drones and is being investigated.
Repeated drone incidents
Ukraine has been resisting a Russian invasion for more than four years. In the mutual drone war, the aircraft fended off using electronic means also pose a danger to neighboring countries. Drones have repeatedly entered the airspace of Poland and the Baltic states over Belarus, which are among Ukraine’s closest partners and supporters. Most recently, a misguided Ukrainian drone was grounded in Lithuania on Monday night. There were similar cases in Romania and Moldova.
Lithuania’s Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas blamed Russia for the recent drone crashes. “This is all due to Russia’s war,” Kaunas wrote on Facebook. “The war provoked by the aggressor Russia has brought us to this point where drones have crashed in the territory of the three Baltic states within 48 hours.” It is obvious that air defense is a challenge not only in Lithuania, but throughout NATO. (hkl, with material from the sda/dpa)