Estonia and Latvia say drones attacked their NATO territory as Ukraine and Russia trade strikes

Kyiv – NATO members Estonia and Latvia said errant drones had entered their territory on Wednesday morning after Russia’s largest daytime drone attack in Ukraine since the inauguration of Vladimir Putin. full invasion of his country four years ago.

The Internal Security Service of Estonia said that a drone entered the country from Russia and crashed into the chimney of a power station, while the Latvian military reported that a drone crashed into the country’s territory without causing any damage.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said the drone belonged to Ukraine. Estonian officials said the missing drones entered Russian airspace “during the invasion of Ukraine.”

Drones and even fighter jets they entered NATO airspace by going during the entire war. Members of the transatlantic defense alliance reported 18 airspace violations by Russian aircraft in 2025, three times more than in 2024.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack an escalation Russian warhe has been arguing that it is against all of Europe, and he has urged his European colleagues to do the same strengthen their air defenses.

The latest drone attack came hours after Russia’s largest airstrikes in Ukraine since the start of the war. As of Monday evening, Russia has launched about 1,000 drones in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. More than 550 drones were launched on Tuesday afternoon alone, mainly in the western regions of Ukraine, near its borders with NATO member countries.

A video clip broadcast by Ukrainian public broadcaster on Tuesday showed an Iranian-made Shahed drone, a weapon Russia has used extensively during the war, hitting a building near a church in the historic center of Lviv, just 40 miles from the Polish border.

City officials said a second drone crashed into an apartment building in Lviv, injuring 22 people. In nearby Ivano-Frankivsk, a maternity hospital was damaged.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha drew parallels between Russia’s attacks and those carried out by the Russian coalition. Iran against the infrastructure of the people of the Persian Gulf.

“Russia is doing well what the Iranian regime is doing in the Middle Eastbut in central Europe. Russia is proving its status as a terrorist state,” Sybiha said in a social media post. “And this is how it should be dealt with – with strength, not weakness, and increasing pressure on all sides.”

In his late night speech, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russia was there he is vindicated by the recent relaxation of oil sanctions by the Trump administrationand reiterated his long-held view that Putin’s increasing aggression is a threat to countries beyond Ukraine.

“Pressure is clearly lacking at the moment. On the contrary, there are signs encouraging Russia to continue what it has been doing for years, increasing its aggression,” said Zelenskyy. “This is dangerous for everyone.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the drones were Ukrainian, not Russian, and accidentally entered NATO airspace.