Melnis: drone shot down in Latvia on Friday flew in from Belarus
Defence Minister Raivis Melnis said the drone that entered Latvian airspace on Friday and was subsequently shot down came from Belarus, though its country of origin is still being confirmed.
Latvia's Defence Minister Raivis Melnis said in an interview on Latvian Television's "Rīta panorāma" that the drone which entered Latvian territory on Friday flew in from the direction of Belarus. He noted, however, that the drone's exact country of origin is still being clarified.
Melnis reaffirmed that any drone entering Latvian airspace will be shot down, a policy adopted to prevent potential harm to Latvia's residents.
Shot down near Lake Boževa
Early Friday morning, allied fighter jets shot down a drone that had entered Latvian airspace near Lake Boževa, located about five kilometres from the centre of Rugāji in Balvi municipality. Sandra Kapteine, head of the Rugāji municipal administration, confirmed to the LETA news agency that the drone came down in a forested area and that no residents or property were harmed. National Armed Forces (NAF) troops, National Guard members and State Police officers worked at the site.
Iveta Bērziņa, a spokesperson for the NAF Joint Staff, said that because the drone was shot down at high altitude, its debris could be scattered across a wide area.
According to currently available information, the drone entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare activity.
Context in Russia and Ukraine
The same night, a fire broke out at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's Leningrad region following a Ukrainian drone strike. Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 54 drones were shot down over the region in total. Ukrainian drones also struck a Wildberries warehouse in the Tver region overnight.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they struck 29 power substations in Russian-occupied territories over the past day, and 240 substations between August 1 and 13. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that 553 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight Friday over 18 Russian regions and occupied Crimea, without stating how many were not intercepted.
