Russia claims Baltic states help Ukraine launch drones. What is known

Publication date: 29 May 2026

Claim

Russian officials claim that Latvia and other Baltic states allow Ukraine to use their territory or airspace to launch drones or conduct drone strikes against Russia.

Verdict

No evidence / misleading.

The public materials checked for this fact-check do not confirm that Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania allowed Ukraine to launch drones from their territory or to use their airspace for attacks on Russia. Drone incidents in the region are real, but the governments of the Baltic states, Ukraine, NATO and European officials reject the Russian version. The main explanation in open sources is that drones were pushed off course by Russian electronic warfare, GPS jamming or spoofing. In some cases, the exact causes still require technical verification.

In brief

Russia is using real drone incidents to accuse the Baltic states of helping Ukraine. Reuters reported that Russia's representative at the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, claimed that Ukraine allegedly planned to launch military drones from Latvia and other Baltic countries and threatened retaliation. Latvia called the claims "pure fiction" and said it had not consented to the use of its territory or airspace for attacks on Russia. Ukraine also rejected the accusations.

Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported an assessment by Remigijus Bridikis, director of Lithuania's State Security Department. He said Russia is conducting an information operation to pressure Baltic states and weaken their support for Ukraine. According to LRT, Baltic states reject the accusations and link drone entries into their airspace to Russian electronic warfare systems.

Why this matters

Accusing Baltic states of involvement in attacks on Russia raises the risk of military threats against NATO countries and can be used to pressure public opinion in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. For Russian-speaking and Belarusian-speaking audiences, it is important to separate confirmed facts about drone incidents from unsupported claims about deliberate assistance to Ukraine.

What we checked

• What exactly the Russian side claimed.

• Whether public evidence shows that Baltic states allowed Ukraine to launch drones or use their airspace for attacks.

• How the incidents are explained by Baltic governments, Ukraine, NATO and independent media.

• Which details remain unresolved.

Evidence

Reuters: Russian threats and Latvia's response

Reuters reported on 19 May 2026 that Russia's UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said Russian intelligence allegedly had information that Ukraine planned to launch military drones from Latvia and other Baltic states. He also warned that NATO membership would not protect Latvia from possible retaliation.

In the same article, Reuters cited Latvia's response. Latvia's UN representative Sanita Pavluta-Deslandes called the Russian claims "pure fiction". Latvia's foreign ministry said the country had not consented to the use of its territory or airspace for attacks on targets in Russia. Ukraine's representative Andriy Melnyk called the Russian accusations "fairy tales".

This shows that the Russian accusation was made publicly, but the Reuters report does not present verifiable evidence supporting it. Latvia and Ukraine directly rejected it.

LRT: Lithuanian intelligence assessment

LRT reported on 26 May 2026 the assessment of Remigijus Bridikis, director of Lithuania's State Security Department. According to him, Russia is conducting an information operation against the Baltic states after drone incidents. Bridikis said the aim is to pressure the region's countries into reducing or ending their support for Ukraine.

LRT also wrote that Russia accuses Baltic states of deliberately providing territory for attacks on Russia. The Baltic states reject this and explain the entry of drones into their airspace by the effects of Russian electronic warfare systems.

This shows that Lithuania's official assessment treats the Russian accusations as part of information pressure, not as an established fact.

BBC: the incidents are real, but the accusations are rejected

BBC described a series of drone incidents in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The report says Kyiv apologized for drones entering Baltic airspace and linked this to Russian jamming of navigation signals. BBC also cited Estonia's position: "Estonia has not allowed its territory or airspace to be used for attacks against Russia. These claims are false and Russia knows it."

BBC notes an important uncertainty: not every case can automatically be explained only by GPS jamming. Some episodes may have involved technical or software errors, including mistaken target recognition.

This shows that the fact of drone incidents does not prove that Baltic states helped Ukraine. The causes of individual cases require technical verification.

Defense News: the likely role of electronic warfare

Defense News described March incidents in which Ukrainian or presumed Ukrainian drones entered the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Citing officials and experts, the outlet pointed to Russian GPS jamming and spoofing as a likely reason why drones deviated from their route. At the same time, Defense News framed the uncertainty carefully: it remains unclear whether Russia is deliberately redirecting drones into NATO countries or whether this is a side effect of protecting Russian targets with electronic warfare.

This shows that a technical explanation exists, but the question of Russia's intent in each episode is not closed.

Politico: the position of Baltic states and NATO

Politico reported that Russia is trying to turn accidental or forced drone incursions into a political crisis between Ukraine and its Baltic allies. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said Ukraine had never asked to use Estonian airspace. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that if Ukrainian drones end up in Baltic states, it is not because Ukraine wanted to direct them there, but because of Russia's illegal full-scale war.

This shows that European and NATO representatives do not confirm the Russian version about voluntary assistance by Baltic states.

What remains unknown

• Full technical reports are needed for each incident: route, drone type, radar data, navigation data and wreckage analysis.

• Not all episodes may have the same cause. Open sources mention GPS jamming, spoofing, navigation errors and possible target-recognition mistakes.

• The Russian side makes public accusations, but in the sources checked for this material we found no open evidence confirming consent or involvement by Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania.

Conclusion

Verdict: no evidence / misleading.

Drone incidents in Baltic states have happened and create risks for civilian safety. But they do not prove Russia's claim that Baltic states allowed Ukraine to launch drones or use their airspace for attacks on Russia. Available open sources show the opposite: Baltic governments, Ukraine, NATO and European officials reject this accusation. The most frequently cited explanation is the effect of Russian electronic warfare and navigation disruption, although details of individual cases should be checked separately.

Sources

• Reuters, "Russia says Latvia risks retaliation over Ukraine drone plans", 19 May 2026: https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-warns-latvia-against-letting-ukraine-launch-drones-threatens-retaliation-2026-05-19

• LRT, "Lithuania says Russia waging information campaign amid Baltic drone incidents", 26 May 2026: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2941124/lithuania-says-russia-waging-information-campaign-amid-baltic-drone-incidents

• BBC News, "Ukraine's Baltic allies unsettled by repeated drone incursions": https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3pzg491ypo

• Defense News, "Ukrainian drones hit all three Baltic States, did Russia redirect them?", 27 March 2026: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/03/27/ukrainian-drones-hit-all-three-baltic-states-did-russia-redirect-them

• Politico, "Russia's drone blame game fails to split Ukraine from its Baltic allies": https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-drone-blame-game-fails-split-ukraine-baltic-allies

Corrections and updates

If technical reports on individual incidents or verifiable documents from the parties appear after publication, this material should be updated with the date and nature of the change.