Estonia’s President Alar Karis spoke out regarding the recent incident involving an unknown drone that crashed and exploded on the country’s territory in Tartu County. He stressed the need for rapid progress in counter-drone systems and defense technologies, as well as strengthening close cooperation between the country’s security forces.
In response to the incident, Karis held meetings with Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Ihor Taro, and the Director General of the Security Police Margo Palloson, to align joint actions and interagency coordination in response to drone threats and to develop a unified response framework.
not what Estonia has years to implement, but what must be implemented quickly
– President of Estonia Alar Karis
Karis stressed that this event underscores the urgent need to build a multi-layer drone-countermeasure system and to actively expand defense capabilities that must evolve in step with technological innovations.
The focus of countering drones is no longer limited to the eastern border, and requires a much broader approach
– President of Estonia Alar Karis
According to Karis, in counter-drone operations the state defense agencies must work even more closely with the police to jointly identify threats and respond to them promptly.
National defence is unified and comprehensive. We must consider whether we can do more so that both the Defence Forces and the police can detect and respond to such threats together
– President of Estonia Alar Karis
On August 25, in Elva Parish of Tartu County, a local farmer found drone fragments and a crater from its explosion. Margo Palloson, Director General of the Security Police, said that the UAV crashed on Estonian territory on Sunday morning, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing. Also on August 24, about six kilometers from the border with Estonia, in the Russian part of Lake Peipus, a drone fell, breaking apart into pieces and apparently exploded.