Stoicescu: Drone defense efforts must be accelerated

TALLINN - The chairman of the parliamentary National Defense Committee, Kalev Stoicescu, on Thursday called on Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur and Minister of the Interior Igor Taro to accelerate and enhance efforts on drone defense as much as possible, stressing that the previously planned pace must be increased.

Pevkur and Taro briefed the National Defense Committee on an incident that occurred on the night leading into Wednesday, where a drone entered Estonian airspace over the Narva River and struck a chimney at the Auvere power plant. They also outlined the subsequent actions planned. Representatives from the ministries, the Defense Forces, and the Government Office also provided explanations during the meeting.

According to Stoicescu, it must first be made clear to the authorities and then to the Estonian public what Estonia's capabilities are for ensuring the best possible drone defense throughout the country, but especially near the eastern border.

Stoicescu recalled that a similar incident occurred last August. While the drone that exploded in a field in the village of Koruste at that time caused no damage, the latest incident took place much closer to Narva, a more populated area. "Such incidents are always possible as long as Russia's aggression against Ukraine continues and Ukraine attempts to destroy the aggressor's infrastructure located near Estonia's eastern border," he noted, adding that unfortunately, with each recurrence, the risk of the incident causing harm to people increases.

Stoicescu said that everyone understands it is not possible to neutralize every drone entering Estonian airspace, but effectiveness must be maximized. "Let's look at the numbers from Ukraine, where out of hundreds of the aggressor's drones each day, only a few reach their target," he said, proposing to pay special attention to the drone defense of Narva, Narva-Jõesuu, and the power plants near the border.

The chairman of the National Defense Committee affirmed that drone defense will continue to be a key focus for the committee. "Estonia must do and achieve much more in this area than before. We are also moving quickly with legislation to enable the agencies of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior, including the Defense Forces and the Police and Border Guard Board, to act effectively at all times, considering that Estonia, unlike Ukraine, is legally in a state of peace," Stoicescu said.