Alar Karis called for adopting Ukraine’s drone countermeasures after several UAVs landed in Estonia. He also urged calm among the public amid ongoing threats.
Estonian President Alar Karis said that, after a series of incidents involving drones entering the country, it would be wise to draw on Ukraine’s experience in countering drones while also avoiding panic among the population.
He voiced these remarks during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has expertise, and we could see it when we were conducting military exercises
– Alar Karis
According to him, one of the directions in countering drones is their destruction using aviation, but such an approach has its limitations.
We have shown that we can shoot down drones with aircraft, but fighter jets are expensive
– Alar Karis
He added that Estonia should apply Ukrainian knowledge and technologies in this area: “Therefore we must find opportunities to use Ukraine’s expert knowledge. These technologies and this capability are important to bring here”
“Therefore we must find opportunities to use Ukraine’s expert knowledge. These technologies and this capability are important to bring here”
– Karis
At the same time, Karis noted that, due to the prolonged war, similar drone incidents could recur on Estonian territory. “Since the war continues, it is very likely that such incidents will continue to occur in the future, and this should be taken into account”, he said.
“Since the war continues, it is very likely that such incidents will continue to occur in the future, and this should be taken into account”
– Karis
The President of Estonia also stressed the need to avoid panic due to such cases. “We need our people to remain calm when we know that certain drones go missing and land on our territory”, said Karis.
“We need our people to remain calm when we know that certain drones go missing and land on our territory”
– Karis
According to the Estonian Ministry of Defence, Hanno Pevkur noted that it was likely a drone of Ukrainian origin heading for targets on Russian territory, and the incident occurred on May 19.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine apologized to Estonia for the unintentional drone incidents, noting that Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian UAVs toward the Baltic region, using electronic warfare methods.
Zelensky is in Estonia for the Ukraine-NB8 summit on Tuesday, June 9.
Strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and Estonia in the field of air defense underscores the joint efforts of both countries to counter the drone threat and mutual support in the region.
