Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are experiencing incursions of low-cost, hard-to-detect drones entering their airspace, causing NATO concern. Recent incidents in May 2026 include suspected Ukrainian drones rerouted by Russian electronic warfare crashing in Latvia and NORAD-operated F-16s downing drones in Estonia. Lithuania issued shelter-in-place orders due to drone alerts, disrupting civil life and transportation. NATO lacks an effective response to these drone incursions, as fighter jets are costly and ineffective against low, slow drones. Russia exploits drones for disruption, ambivalence, and political pressure without needing physical strikes. The Baltic states are urged to lead NATO in layered detection, cost-effective responses, and civil preparedness to counter the drone threat while leveraging their frontline experience in hybrid warfare domains such as cyber and energy security.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are experiencing incursions of low-cost, hard-to-detect drones entering their airspace, causing NATO concern. Recent incidents in May 2026 include suspected Ukrainian drones rerouted by Russian electronic warfare crashing in Latvia and NORAD-operated F-16s downing drones in Estonia. Lithuania issued shelter-in-place orders due to drone alerts, disrupting civil life and transportation. NATO lacks an effective response to these drone incursions, as fighter jets are costly and ineffective against low, slow drones. Russia exploits drones for disruption, ambivalence, and political pressure without needing physical strikes. The Baltic states are urged to lead NATO in layered detection, cost-effective responses, and civil preparedness to counter the drone threat while leveraging their frontline experience in hybrid warfare domains such as cyber and energy security.