Estonia and Latvia say Russian drones attacked their NATO territory amid massive attack on Ukraine

Kiev— NATO members Estonia and Latvia said Russian drones entered their territory on Wednesday morning, immediately after one of Russia’s largest daytime drone strikes against Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched the full scale invasion of your country four years ago.

Estonia’s Internal Security Service said a drone entered the country from Russia and crashed into the chimney of a power plant, while Latvia’s armed forces reported that a Russian drone crashed into the country’s territory without causing any damage.

Russian drones and even fighter jets. have increasingly entered NATO airspace throughout the war. Members of the transatlantic defense alliance reported 18 violations of airspace by Russian aircraft during 2025, three times more than in 2024.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the incursions as an escalation of The Russian Warwhich has always maintained that it goes against all of Europe, and has urged its European partners to strengthen their own air defenses.

The latest drone raids came hours after one of Russia’s largest airstrikes against Ukraine since the war began. As of Monday afternoon, Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones against Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. More than 550 drones were launched on Tuesday afternoon alone, primarily targeting Ukraine’s western regions near its borders with NATO member states.

A video clip broadcast by Ukraine’s public broadcaster on Tuesday showed an Iranian-made Shahed drone, a weapon Russia has used heavily during the war, crashing into a building next to a church in the historic center of Lviv, just 40 miles from the Polish border.

City authorities said a second drone hit a residential building in Lviv, injuring 22 people. In nearby Ivano-Frankivsk, a maternity hospital was damaged.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha drew a parallel between the Russian attacks and those carried out by Russia’s ally. Iran attacks civilian infrastructure throughout the Persian Gulf.

“Russia is doing exactly What the Iranian regime is doing in the Middle Eastbut in the center of Europe. “Russia demonstrates its status as a terrorist state,” Sybiha said in a social media post. “And this is how it should be addressed: through strength, not weakness, and increased pressure on all fronts.”

In his late-night speech, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russia had been emboldened by the Trump administration’s recent relaxation of oil sanctionsand highlighted his long-held view that Putin’s increasing aggression is a threat to countries beyond Ukraine.

“Pressure is clearly lacking at the moment. On the contrary, there are signs encouraging Russia to continue what they have been doing for years, only increasing their aggressiveness,” Zelenskyy said. “This is dangerous for everyone.”