Drone Alert Issued Early Sunday for Eastern and Southern Estonia Amid Russian Attacks on Leningrad Region

Early on May 3, 2026, the Estonian Defense Forces issued an EE-ALARM drone warning for Võru and Ida-Viru counties following Russian reports of drone attacks on the Leningrad region. The alert started at about 3:30 am local time and ended at 5:30 am. One drone briefly entered Estonian airspace near Lake Peipus and Lake Pskov but retreated back into Russia without causing any damage. Local residents reported drone-like noises and sightings, though official verification is limited. The Estonian Ministry of Interior connected the alerts to Russia's ongoing military aggression against Ukraine and Ukraine’s use of long-range drones targeting Russian oil infrastructure on the Baltic Sea. Due to countermeasures, some drones have been detected in Baltic and Nordic airspace, prompting simultaneous alerts in Estonia, Finland, and Latvia. This incident reflects the spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict’s hybrid warfare dynamics impacting Estonia’s airspace security.