Allied fighters shoot down drone that entered Latvia's airspace; threat neutralized, says military
Early Friday morning, NATO Baltic air-policing jets shot down a drone that had entered Latvian airspace, according to the National Armed Forces. Residents in several municipalities of Latgale and Vidzeme were alerted, and the threat is now over.
Latvia's National Armed Forces (NBS) reported that an unmanned aerial vehicle entered the country's airspace early on Friday and was successfully destroyed by allied fighter jets. With the interception, the airspace threat has ended, the military said.
Prior to the operation, residents of Augšdaugava, Preiļi, Rēzekne, Balvi and Alūksne municipalities received warnings about the potential danger. NBS explained that NATO's Baltic air-policing mission fighters were scrambled in response.
The authorities recalled that earlier this summer, people in Latgale and Vidzeme repeatedly received mobile phone alerts about possible airspace threats. Some drones also fell and exploded in Latvia. Those incidents were linked to drones likely connected to the Russia–Ukraine war.
In early August, the Lithuanian news portal 15min.lt reported that Lithuania's military intelligence had information suggesting Russia was considering attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic states using Ukrainian drones. That raised concerns about the risk of similar incidents in the region.
Latvian Radio reported on Friday morning that the drone was shot down near Lake Boževa, close to the town of Rugāji. NBS has confirmed that the threat has been eliminated and the situation is now safe.
