Latest news with #EstonianDefenseForces
Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Russian Jet Violates NATO Airspace as Putin ‘Shadow Fleet' Tanker Escorted
Estonia has accused Russia of breaching its airspace in a move that raises tensions between Moscow and NATO's Baltic State member. The Russian Sukhoi Su-35 entered Estonia's airspace for less than a minute on Tuesday evening above the Juminda Peninsula area in the Gulf of Finland, according to the Estonian Defense Forces. No flight plan was filed, the jet's transponders were turned off, and the pilot did not maintain two-way communication with Estonian air traffic control, the statement added. Estonia's foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said that the incident "was no acceptable in any way." Same evening, the Estonian Navy was escorting a suspected Russian "shadow fleet" tanker headed for Saint Petersburg, with Russian sources claiming the NATO ally's navy was 'warded off' by the combat jet. NATO members have accused Russia of stoking tensions by the alliance's eastern flank through hybrid measures such as GPS jamming and flying close to its airspace. This is a breaking story and will be updated shortly. Related Articles Russia Could Be Ready to Strike NATO in Two Years, New Report SaysUkraine Crisis Could Spark 'Direct' Russia-US Confrontation-NORAD CommanderMacron Open to Deploying Nuclear Weapons Across EuropePhotos Show Allied Jets Escorting US Bombers in New Frontline Drills 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russian Jet Violates NATO Airspace as Putin 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker Escorted
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Estonia has accused Russia of breaching its airspace in a move that raises tensions between Moscow and NATO's Baltic State member. The Russian Sukhoi Su-35 entered Estonia's airspace for less than a minute on Tuesday evening above the Juminda Peninsula area in the Gulf of Finland, according to the Estonian Defense Forces. No flight plan was filed, the jet's transponders were turned off, and the pilot did not maintain two-way communication with Estonian air traffic control, the statement added. Estonia's foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said that the incident "was no acceptable in any way." Same evening, the Estonian Navy was escorting a suspected Russian "shadow fleet" tanker headed for Saint Petersburg, with Russian sources claiming the NATO ally's navy was 'warded off' by the combat jet. NATO members have accused Russia of stoking tensions by the alliance's eastern flank through hybrid measures such as GPS jamming and flying close to its airspace. This is a breaking story and will be updated shortly.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
European drone training sites mushroom in nod to Ukraine war tactics
MILAN — Drone tactics emerging from the war in Ukraine have inspired other European countries to intensify their military-experimentation campaigns, with a new crop of testing facilities designed to test the small aircraft in war-like conditions. Estonia inaugurated its first drone training center, located in the western part of the Baltic country, last week. The facility is meant to enhance the unmanned systems training of the Estonian Defense Forces and NATO allied units. 'The experience from the war in Ukraine shows that drones and unmanned systems are crucial in modern combat – developing Estonia's defense capabilities requires that we elevate our drone training,' Estonia's Defense League quoted Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur as saying. The site, which cost roughly €5 million ($5.7 million) and was financed by Luxembourg, covers 1,300 square meters and includes classrooms, storage, equipment maintenance areas as well as accommodations, according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR. It will seek to integrate and draw from Ukraine's wartime expertise in drone warfare as well as NATO's to offer key infrastructure for national forces and industry players. An increasing number of European states are following similar steps in attempts to trial drones in real-world scenarios to test their performance and reliability. Obstacles to be expected in actual conflict include bad weather and enemy jamming of control signals, for example. Earlier this month, Denmark announced the creation of a new drone centre at the Hans Christian Andersen airport in Odense to serve as a training site for the Danish military. The airport already has another testing facility. Dubbed the UAS Denmark Test Center and launched in 2013, it focuses on training personnel in beyond-visual-line-of-sight, or BVLOS, flight zones. In March, the Danish government said it would dedicate $110 million to the new section, building on lessons from the Ukraine war. By 2026, approximately 100 Danish drone operators are expected to be training there, as reported AFP. In another example, ZenaTech, a company headquartered in Canada that specializes in artificial intelligence, announced in January that it was setting up a BVLOS drone trial facility in Turkey. 'The facility will serve as a product testing site for the company's subsidiary ZenaDrone 1000 model drones designed for the U.S. defense branches and NATO – it will be fully set up and operational during the first quarter of 2025,' ZenaTech said in a statement. As part of Finland's recently published national drone strategy, the country will seek to prioritize investments in drone infrastructure, specifically large-scale laboratories and open-air test sites. The document cites Finnish Arctic conditions as a unique and challenging testing environment. In 2024, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, known as Eurocontrol, conducted a survey of 31 civil and military test centers across member states to report on their capabilities and the challenges. A majority of the respondents were from the European UAS Test Centres Alliance, which comprises 35 organizations from over 17 countries, that seek to enhance and support the development of the drone ecosystem and leverage synergies between the different sites. The three main operational concerns faced by the facilities were listed as airspace integration, technical reliability, and privacy. The non-operational ones included flight approval by authorities and funding.
Russia Today
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Baltic NATO member could back attacks on civilian shipping
Estonia's parliament is set to vote on a bill that would allow its military to sink civilian vessels found to pose a national security threat, state broadcaster ERR reported on Tuesday. The proposal comes amid heightened tensions with Russia and widespread suspicion it orchestrated the sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, speculation Moscow has vehemently rejected. The legislation – the final reading of which will take place on Wednesday, – would give the Estonian Defense Forces authority to use maximum force in the country's national waters and its exclusive economic zone, to protect critical infrastructure, ports, facilities and vessels. Firing on, and sinking a civilian craft would be permissible if potential damage is deemed less than that accruing if the target vessel is allowed continue. Read more EU denies 'drone wall' funding for member states – media Under the bill, military and naval commanders would be required to notify the vessel's owner, or its flag state, only after the use of force. Kalev Stoicescu, the chair of the Estonian parliamentary defense committee, has drawn comparisons to the 9/11 attacks but stressed that the law would not lead to ships being sunk for incidents such as cable damage. Former commander of the Estonian Navy, Juri Saska, has warned that hostile actors might use civilian vessels to carry out attacks on the country, adding that he hoped that politicians would take responsibility for any potential incidents. Estonia was one of the countries affected when a power cable connecting it to Finland was damaged in December. Western investigators have so far failed to present any proof to substantiate widespread allegations that Russia orchestrated the incident. Moscow has denied any role, calling the speculation 'absurd.' Following the suspected sabotage, NATO ramped up its military presence in the Baltic Sea, prompting Moscow to warn that it will respond appropriately to any 'violations' by NATO ships.
