'Whatever comes, comes:' Villagers react to drone debris found in Tartu County

Residents who live close to where a Ukrainian drone was found in Tartu County on Tuesday said they had ignored or slept through the warnings. Others said they heard an explosion before the first alert was sent.
On Tuesday morning, drone debris was found in a field in Hammaste village in Kastre Municipality, around 20 kilometers from Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. There was no crater this time, giving rise to the theory that the drone exploded before it hit the ground.
The find followed several air alerts about "potential" threats, which had been sent the evening before by the national emergency network, as Ukraine launched attacks on Russia's Baltic Sea ports.
Tuesday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" spoke to several residents living in or close to the site.
Tommy Tooming, who lives in Kastre Municipality, said he woke up after an explosion – later assumed to be the drone – and checked his security camera. Both the sight and sound of the drone explosion were clearly caught by the recording.
"In the morning, I woke up, took the kids to kindergarten and thought I'd come and check just in case, because my gut feeling said it might be found around here. I did see pieces in the field and immediately called the police. I also called the Internal Security Service (ISS) and told them you are looking in the wrong place, but for some reason there was no response," he said.
Tooming and several other local residents said the explosion occurred before the danger alert reached them.
"I woke up because the dog was barking, but before that, I registered that there was some kind of rumble, though at the time I didn't understand what was happening. I also hadn't read the alert at that moment. I read it in the morning and then put two and two together," said Veronika, a resident of Hammaste village.
Some residents in the area said they did not hear anything during the night. They only learned about the drone and the potential danger in the morning.
"In the morning, when I read the news, it was quite scary, but since the initial information was that it was over Kannu village, I comforted myself with the thought that it was far enough from us. When I read that it was actually found practically next door — it was disgusting. If I had several million [euros], maybe I'd think about going somewhere to a warm country, but we'll take it one day at a time. Whatever comes, comes," said Terje, a resident of Issaku village.
The ISS confirmed on Tuesday that a Ukrainian drone had crashed, but it could not yet say if it was an attack drone.

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said only one drone has been found so far, but they do not rule out that more drones may come to light. The agency has already received several tips, including one about Sutte village in Võru County.
"Sometime around half past midnight, while in the workshop, I heard through the noise of the machines a pretty loud bang. I called 1247, and at that moment, they didn't know anything about it either. It was said that it was only in Ida-Viru County and Lääne-Viru County, and then they said they had just received a report as well. Maybe nothing fell here, but somewhere nearby something did. /.../ It doesn't feel very good," said Siim, a resident of Sutte village.
At the same time, some of the reports may be related to allied fighter jets, which were scrambled to monitor the situation.
Some suspicions related to drones have already been ruled out.
Kert Kotkas, operational commander at the PPA, said: "Different people are already giving completely different descriptions of the same phenomenon. One location where there was suspicion of an explosion was resolved during inspection when it turned out that stones were being cleared from a field and thrown into an empty metal container, and that bang in a rural environment produced quite a strong sound effect."
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera








