Several drones crossed into Estonian airspace from Russia on Wednesday morning, with one hitting the chimney of the Auvere power station in the eastern Ida-Viru County at 3:43 a.m. The drones were part of a Ukrainian attack on the Russian port of Ust-Luga, which is less than 50 kilometers from Auvere. One drone from the same wave hit a factory in southeastern Latvia.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Lt Gen. Merilo said the incident has not served to heighten the conflict threat level so far as Estonia is concerned; the entry of drones into Estonian airspace and the strike on the Auvere power plant chimney are spillover effects of Russia's war of aggression, he reiterated.

"As a result, several waves of attacks have brought strike drones close to our borders," Merilo said, going on to say that Russian drone countermeasures may have caused the small numbers of Ukrainian drones to veer off course.

"Russia's air defense has been actively intercepting them, and for some time there has also been noticeable interference with GPS signals. Russian electronic warfare has likely been effective to some extent this time as well, and in connection with this, some drones have ended up in Estonian airspace," Merilo said.

Some Ukrainian drones briefly entered Estonian airspace over the sea and then immediately left, he said.

As for the drone which hit the Auvere power station: "What type of drone it is will depend on the investigation by the Internal Security Service, but today we can say with fairly high confidence that it was not a reconnaissance drone, but rather an explosive-laden device — either an attack drone or a decoy drone," Merilo went on.

While the incidents have not required the redeployment of EDF personnel to any major extent, the proportionate response may mean members of the public seeing a greater amount of EDF activity.

"To be up to the task, the EDF has, based on the situation assessment, implemented additional measures. This also means that some of our units are outside their peacetime and permanent locations and are carrying out identification and, if necessary, defence tasks specifically against the kinds of threats we have currently seen," Merilo noted. "In the near future, you may also see increased movement of defensive personnel in various areas, and this is our normal activity in staying aligned with the situation."

The wave of attacks has not completely ended yet, Merilo went on, meaning the possibility of a further drone incursion cannot be ruled out.

"We are currently monitoring how the situation develops and are ready to implement additional measures. Everything we do is also in cooperation with our allies, which is why NATO air policing has been used very actively over the past night," Merilo added.

The EDF would not actively shoot down drones entering from Russian airspace, as happened early on Tuesday, for as long as there is any risk that any debris could fall onto Russian territory.

"Our goal is to avoid any unintended escalation, so we certainly cannot engage drones where there is even the slightest risk that our actions could carry over into Russian territory," Merilo explained.

Conversely and with the caveat that the situation is evolving, no fire from the Russian side of the border has been observed entering Estonian territory either, he said.

"Our operations right near the border are extremely complex, and we also need to honestly acknowledge that despite massive attacks, Russia has so far managed to avoid situations where munitions used for air defence are fired toward Estonia," Merilo added.

The EDF also cannot deploy all available methods to shoot down drones given the situation is one of peacetime in Estonia. "We must ensure public safety at all times. If we are forced to shoot down a drone, that means that the drone or its debris will fall somewhere," Merilo said.

The EDF commander pledged to promptly inform the public when the current threat has subsided. "As soon as the threat has fully passed, we will also announce this and can return to a completely normal peacetime routine," he added.

The EDF has proposed prolonging the flight restrictions placed on eastern Estonia due to the drone incident through to Friday this week, he added. This will make it easier to neutralize aerial targets where necessary.

"We assume that something additional will likely happen. We have learned from recent history that what began in full-scale already five years ago has continually moved into new phases, and the threats to us have likewise increased," Merilo concluded.

Flights to and from Tallinn and Tartu airports are continuing.

Ukraine launched waves of drone strikes on Ust-Luga, located on the south side of the Gulf of Finland and inside the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) oblast, overnight Tuesday. This followed strikes on Primorsk, on the north coast of the gulf, whose oil facilities have been ablaze for over two days now.

Russia's shadow fleet tankers use both ports to fill up with oil. Reuters reported Wednesday that Russia's Baltic ports are currently closed as a result of the strikes.

Wednesday's drone incidents in Estonia and Latvia are not unique. On Monday, a drone came down in a sparsely populated area of southeastern Lithuania, close to the border with Belarus. Lithuanian authorities subsequently confirmed the drone was of Ukrainian origin.

Last August, fragments from a Ukrainian attack drone were found near Elva in South Estonia.

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