On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces carried out a drone attack on the Russian port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region. At the same time, authorities in Latvia and Estonia reported violations of their airspace by drones that had approached from the direction of Russia. These were therefore likely Ukrainian aircraft that had deviated from their course or whose navigation systems had been disrupted. In Estonia, a drone struck a chimney at the Auvere thermal power plant (photos below).
Photos: Sergei Stepanov/ERR
The Air Force has identified a foreign unmanned aircraft entering Latvian airspace from Russia. Early warning systems detected a sound similar to an explosion in the Krāslava region.
Representatives of the National Armed Forces, the State Police and the State Border Guard units are at the scene. Wreckage of the drone has been found at the scene. No further threat to the safety of civilians and Latvian airspace has been identified.
No civilians were injured and no damage was caused to civilian infrastructure. The circumstances of the incident are being investigated. The Krāslava municipality has been informed about the incident.
According to the Reuters news agency, there were in fact two drones that violated Latvian airspace: one entered from Russia, the other from Belarus.
The Latvian National Armed Forces reported that one of the drones was identified as originating from Ukraine:
Latvijā nokritušais drons identificēts kā Ukrainas izcelsmes
Naktī uz trešdienu, 25. martu, Latvijas gaisa telpā ielidojušais bezpilota lidaparāts, izvērtējot atrastās atlūzas, ir identificēts kā Ukrainas izcelsmes drons.
Nacionālie bruņotie spēki turpina sadarbību ar Valsts… pic.twitter.com/pEUmLdC4D2
— NBS (@Latvijas_armija) March 25, 2026
In Estonia, the incident was somewhat more serious in nature.
During the night of March 24–25, at 3:43 a.m., a drone struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant. No one was injured in the incident, a spokesperson for the Estonian Internal Security Service said. The event did not cause immediate disruptions to the national power system. The plant operator, Enefit Power AS, stated that explosive ordnance disposal units were dispatched to the site.
“This is a consequence of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression. We can assume that we will see more incidents of this kind,” said Margo Palloson, Director General of the Estonian Internal Security Service.
The case in Estonia is being investigated by the Police and Border Guard Board under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities stated that the drone had been in Russian airspace before entering Estonian territory.
The EE-ALARM alert system sent a notification to mobile phones across Estonia on Wednesday morning at 8:43 a.m.: “Defence Forces: Due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, there is a drone threat in the region. If you see one, take cover and call 112. Additional information: KRIIS.EE and 1247.”
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the drone attack on Ust-Luga damaged the armed patrol icebreaker Purga (Project 23550 Yermak), belonging to the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. The Novatek Ust-Luga facility was also targeted.
Two days earlier, a Ukrainian drone crashed in the town of Orany in Lithuania. It is believed to have taken part in an attack on a Russian oil terminal in Primorsk, also in the Leningrad region.