Polish defense minister demands caution from Ukraine after drone incident over Estonia

Poland’s Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called on Ukraine to more precisely identify targets for drone strikes so as not to pose a threat to NATO member states.

The statement was made at a press conference broadcast by the TVP Info television channel.

“Ukraine must define the targets [of UAV strikes] much more precisely so as not to threaten the security of NATO countries. Ukraine must be careful in this regard,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

The statement was prompted by an incident on May 19: Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur reported that a Ukrainian drone had been shot down near the city of Tartu. NATO confirmed the incident, specifying that the UAV was destroyed by Romanian Air Force F-16 fighters in Estonian airspace.

Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich said he felt “enormous pride” over the downed Ukrainian drone.

The incident over Estonia was not the only episode involving the appearance of Ukrainian drones over the territory of the Baltic states. Earlier, Lithuania’s foreign minister blamed Russia for the appearance of Ukrainian drones in the Baltics. On March 19, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Ukrainian drone operators had arrived in Latvia with the aim of striking Russia from that country’s territory.