Estonia Denies Link to Russian Airport Drone Strike

Estonia's government has denied a drone strike on the Russian city of Pskov on Tuesday could have come from the NATO member country, after rumors began spreading online.

Drone attacks hit targets on Tuesday in the western Russian regions of Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga, Ryazan, Moscow, and Pskov. In Pskov, close to the border with Estonia and Latvia—both European Union and NATO nations—fires broke out at a military airport following explosions, with at least four Il-76 military transport aircraft thought damaged.

Drone attacks on Russian territory have become an almost daily occurrence in recent weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in July that the 18-month-old war "is gradually returning to Russia's territory, to its symbolic centers and military bases," in what he described as an "inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair" process.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strikes.

However, the Pskov reports also gave way to claims that the attack was launched from Estonia, whose border is only around 22 miles from the airport where the strikes happened.

Russia-Ukraine war commentator Lord Bebo posted on X, formerly Twitter, on August 29, 2023, about a "RUMOR" that a "drone swarm to Pskov was launched from Estonia, a NATO country."

The post, which has been viewed 1 million times, added: "Should it be confirmed ... we have a bit problem. WW3ish kind of a problem."

The "rumor" prompted speculation on Russian state television, with TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov reporting that "Turkish sources" had claimed the strike came from Estonia.

Solovyov added: "If it's true then Estonia must be wiped off the face of the earth!"

There was no reasoning provided for the claims shared online beyond the distance between Estonia's border and Pskov.

However, the Estonian government has firmly denied the claims. A statement sent to Newsweek from a spokesman for the Government Office of the Republic of Estonia said: "This is false information."

Newsweek has also contacted a NATO media representative via email for comment.

Some of the comments about the strike noted the distance between the Ukrainian border and Pskov. As the crow flies, the closest distance between the Russian city and Ukraine is about 310 miles. This would have required the drone to fly through the airspace of Belarus. Avoiding Belarusian airspace could extend the journey to 700 miles or 435 miles, depending on the route.

However, Ukrainian drones are reportedly able to fly to distances up to and beyond this.

In July, reports suggested Ukrainian "Beaver" drones could have been behind attacks on Moscow, which are believed to have a range in excess of 620 miles.

In June, a spokesperson for Ukrainian state arms producer Ukroboronprom also posted on Facebook that it had successfully tested a drone with a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

Russia blamed Ukraine for other drone attacks overnight, which caused authorities to close the airspace over the Moscow and neighboring Tula oblasts. State broadcaster Tass also reported that there had been attempted drone strikes over the Bryansk and Oryol regions that had been thwarted by air defense units.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that two Ukrainian drones had been shot down in the Ryazan oblast, southeast of Moscow. Another drone was downed in the Kaluga region, located southwest of the Russian capital, Tass reported.

Meanwhile, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said Russia's Black Sea Fleet was repelling a drone attack near the central bay of the city in occupied Crimea.