Event 415

{
  "category": "Uncategorized",
  "confidence": "High",
  "country": "Estonia",
  "description": "Estonia currently lacks a fully developed regional drone defense plan despite facing repeated incursions of drones from Russia and Belarus carrying smuggled goods and potentially hostile payloads. Although the Estonian Border Guard detects about 50 flights monthly with illicit drone activities, no coordinated sufficient national drone defense system is yet in place. Ministers of Interior Affairs from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania raised the issue and presented a regional drone defense concept to the European Union, but progress and national political responses remain slow. There is recognition of the threat which includes drones being used not only for smuggling but potentially for weaponization, yet practical implementation of protective measures and a unified regional approach is still evolving. Estonia is also preparing buys of drone detection and dismantling equipment with EU funds and has no estimates yet on the cost of a potential 'drone wall' similar to the proposed Russian one on its Baltic border.",
  "event_time_utc": "2024-06-17T12:00:00Z",
  "evidence": [
    "A plan floated by Estonia to defend the eastern border of the European Union from possible incursions by drones from Russia and Belarus still has a long way to go before becoming a reality.",
    "A notable incident a few years ago was when a drone was caught carrying smuggled cigarettes and it turned out to have made almost 50 flights across the border before ending up in the hands of border guards.",
    "The Minister of the Interior of Estonia, Lauri Läänemets, believes that drones are a real challenge and the Ministry has been discussing the topic for some time but no actual coordinated protection is in place.",
    "At the end of May, the Minister of the Interior of Estonia presented the idea to his colleagues from the other Baltic states, as well as Norway, Finland and Poland in official statements, who in general support, but nobody responded officially to the De Facto request for more detail.",
    "European funding was used for this worth 1,672,541 euros. This year, procurement is being prepared for the purchase of drones, more pieces of equipment worth in all 8 to 10 million euros.",
    "Ministers of Interior Affairs of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have raised a collective regional drone defense proposal to the European Union but with limited political engagement so far."
  ],
  "extra": {
    "extra": {
      "extra": {
        "category_raw": "Defense",
        "evidence": [
          "A plan floated by Estonia to defend the eastern border of the European Union from possible incursions by drones from Russia and Belarus still has a long way to go before becoming a reality.",
          "A notable incident a few years ago was when a drone was caught carrying smuggled cigarettes and it turned out to have made almost 50 flights across the border before ending up in the hands of border guards.",
          "The Minister of the Interior of Estonia, Lauri Läänemets, believes that drones are a real challenge and the Ministry has been discussing the topic for some time but no actual coordinated protection is in place.",
          "At the end of May, the Minister of the Interior of Estonia presented the idea to his colleagues from the other Baltic states, as well as Norway, Finland and Poland in official statements, who in general support, but nobody responded officially to the De Facto request for more detail.",
          "European funding was used for this worth 1,672,541 euros. This year, procurement is being prepared for the purchase of drones, more pieces of equipment worth in all 8 to 10 million euros.",
          "Ministers of Interior Affairs of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have raised a collective regional drone defense proposal to the European Union but with limited political engagement so far."
        ]
      }
    }
  },
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      "url": "/media/event_415_1764370761_2b69d9a3.jpg"
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      "captured_at": "2025-11-29T14:33:03.060329Z",
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      "source_url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/17.06.2024-estonias-regional-drone-defense-plan-still-to-be-worked-out.a558343/",
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  "url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/17.06.2024-estonias-regional-drone-defense-plan-still-to-be-worked-out.a558343/"
}

{
  "5th Column of Russians Inside (which countries)": "",
  "Attack Type": "",
  "Borders Including Sea, Air,  Violation or Sabotage (which countries)": "EE LV LT PL Air",
  "Continuous? (e.g. Jammers)": "",
  "Country (FI;EE;LV;LT;PL;BSR;Air)\nSeparated by Semicolon": "EE",
  "Date": "17-Jun-24",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "?? Estonia floating a plan to defend the Eastern border of the European Union from possible incursions by drones from Russia and Belarus. (LSM).",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defense/17.06.2024-estonias-regional-drone-defense-plan-still-to-be-worked-out.a558343/",
  "Follow-Up Link?  (FI,EE,LV,LT,PL, BSR, Air)": "",
  "Follow-Up NOTES": "",
  "Follow-Up incl. Investigation, Prosecution?  (FI,EE,LV,LT,PL, BSR, Air)": "",
  "Latitude, Longitude (WGS84, Decimal Degrees)": "",
  "NOTES": "?? Estonia floating a plan to defend the Eastern border of the European Union from possible incursions by drones from Russia and Belarus. (LSM).",
  "Political Disruptions w/ Laws to Favor Kremlin (which countries)": "",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "",
  "Screen Snapshot": "",
  "Screen Snapshots": "",
  "Type Dropdown": "",
  "Where?\n(Air, Land, Sea)": ""
}