On Tuesday, the public was told that a local farmer discovered wreckage of an exploded combat drone on Monday (August 25) in Tartu County.

Preliminary evidence indicates the drone is Ukrainian, and there are no suggestions that it is of Russian origin, the Internal Security Service (ISS/KAPO) said.

Karis met with Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, Interior Minister Igor Taro, and ISS Director General Margo Palloson on Tuesday afternoon.

He said there is a need to speed up the construction of the drone wall and layered air defense system.

"This particular incident shows that our drone wall and layered air defense projects are not something Estonia can take years to implement. They must be carried out swiftly. This is a matter of public safety and protection. The focus of drone defense is no longer limited to the eastern border but requires a much broader perspective," the head of state said.

Cooperation between law enforcement agencies should also be increased.

"National defense is unified and broad-based. We need to consider whether we can do more so that both the Defense Forces and the police can jointly identify and respond to such threats," Karis said.

Taro: Drone defense focus expanding to all of Estonia

Interior Minister Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said the incident confirms the need to expand technical capabilities to cover all of Estonia.

"Fortunately, the latest drone incident passed without casualties. However, we once again saw that modern and effective drone defense is an urgent task for Estonia's security, both external and internal. It is a resource- and manpower-intensive task. I would remind you that one of the topics at NATO's latest summit was the need to direct 1.5 percent of GDP to civil defense. In light of today's news, can we really have any other choice? No. This is a matter of the safety and security of the Estonian people," said Taro.

The minister said that in recent months, Estonia has been rapidly developing the capability to detect and counter drones crossing the eastern border.

"The war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine essentially means that all of Russia is now itself a battlefield. As for us, we can no longer speak of drone defense only in terms of the eastern border. This means that the creation of initial but effective technical capabilities for detecting and countering drones must be based on the need to protect all of Estonia's territory. This, in turn, immediately raises the need for even more well-trained personnel and training," Taro said.

He believes Estonia's legal framework must also be reviewed quickly.

"Until now, the airspace has been conditionally divided so that drones flying below 300 meters are the responsibility of the Police and Border Guard Board, and those flying above that fall under the Defense Forces. But it is now clearly necessary to decide whether such a division and distribution of responsibilities still makes sense. This also includes running through various drone incident scenarios with the Defense Forces to ensure quick response, public threat notifications, and behavioral guidance," the minister noted.

Terras: The government must act, not just talk

Former commander of the Estonian Defense Forces and sitting MEP for opposition party Isamaa Riho Terras said the incident requires immediate action, not just talk about developing future capabilities.

Terras said that the remarks made by ministers at today's extraordinary press conference – that plans are in process – are not sufficient.

A tabletop exercise must be convened without delay, and clear coordination and responsibility lines must be established, he said in a statement. This should decide whether to assign surveillance of airspace up to 300 meters to the Defense Forces or to equip the Border Guard with the necessary countermeasures to operate effectively in that zone.

"The drone falling on Estonian territory was only a matter of time, yet our government was still unprepared—both substantively and in terms of strategic communication," Terras wrote.

"We have not actually established coordination or areas of responsibility, nor have we invested in the so-called 'drone wall'; we've only talked about it. Nor have we allocated additional resources to innovation in order to develop real, reasonably priced drone defense tools in Estonia. A drone approaching Estonia must be detectable so it can be neutralized. Now we know that Estonia is currently unable to do that. When will that capability be in place?" Terras asked.

Helme: Was that drone bought with our own money? 

Chairman of EKRE Martin Helme was even more critical in a post on social media.

"It sure was nice to spend three years going around beating our chests about how we are bringing Russia to its knees, bombing Pskov and St. Petersburg, how this is our war too! So shut up about tax hikes and flooding Estonia with Slavs! Shut up if you do not like that we are giving away all our howitzers, air defense, anti-tank weapons, ammunition, and engineering equipment. Because if you are worried about the defense of border state Estonia, then obviously you are a Kremlin agent," he wrote.

Helme claimed this has been the tone of public debate in Estonia in recent years.

"And of course you must never ask any questions about the hundreds of millions being poured into 'defense industry development,' where—curiously enough—cheerful-faced politicians close to the Reform Party, government officials, and failed former military officers are all sitting at the table. That money is going to strengthen our defense capabilities! Only a Kremlin troll would be dumb enough to ask whether there might be any corruption involved or whether the money is actually being used for the right purposes."

Helme added that it is equally taboo to ask whether the €100 million Estonia gives Ukraine each year is even partially going to the right places or if it's all being stolen.

"Is that Ukrainian drone that just exploded in a field in Koruste the very one we bought with our own money? The supposed symbol of a better-protected Estonia than ever before? A symbol of the Reform Party's national defense achievements?"

Läänemets: An outdated concept 

Former minister of interior and current SDE chairman Lauri Läänemets said the defense minister's explanation that drones at higher altitudes must be detected by the Air Force and at lower altitudes by the Police and Border Guard Board is an outdated concept.

"Capabilities need to be integrated, and the issue is no longer just about drone flight altitude. Other factors now play a role—the size of the drone, its speed, and its location," he said.

Läänemets said that Estonia must move as quickly as possible toward ensuring that, in addition to the eastern border, the drone wall also covers national defense sites deeper inland.

He added that all security and countermeasure systems already installed by the private and public sectors, which currently monitor infrastructure, should be integrated with the Police and Border Guard's radar systems.

"This would help us reach a drone dome — or so-called blanket coverage — much faster, which was also mentioned at the press conference," the chairman said.

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