A suspected Ukrainian drone was shot down by NATO over Estonia, raising tensions in the Baltic region.

Estonia announced on Tuesday that a North Atlantic Treaty Organization military aircraft had shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over its territory, amid a rise in airspace violations in the Baltic region.

According to Estonian authorities, the incident occurred amid ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks against Russia. The exact circumstances of the intrusion were not immediately clear, and no independent confirmation of the drone's origin has been released.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur spoke from Vilnius, Lithuania, as the Baltic states increase their vigilance in the face of growing risks of military incidents linked to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, neighboring Latvia issued a drone alert and urged residents living near the Russian border to stay indoors. Latvian authorities also reported that NATO aircraft had been deployed for aerial surveillance operations in the area.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Baltic states, NATO members, have strengthened their air defense systems and security measures, fearing that the conflict could spill over into their territory. Airspace violations and incidents involving drones have increased in recent months.

This incident comes at a time when military tensions remain particularly high around the Baltic Sea and the eastern borders of the Atlantic Alliance. Regional authorities are closely monitoring any suspicious aerial activity that could threaten the security of NATO member states.