Drone with explosives drifts into Latvia, military shares new details
Illustrative photo: Military officials reveal new details about a drone found in Latvia (Getty Images)
A drone that entered Latvia’s airspace overnight was equipped with explosives and was flying at low altitude, Delfi reports, citing a representative of the Latvian Armed Forces, brigadier general Egils Leščinskis.
According to the military official, it was an unmanned aerial vehicle with an internal combustion engine. The device likely carried a warhead, as a detonation occurred after it crashed.
Representatives of the Latvian Armed Forces explained that the drone was flying at an altitude of less than one kilometer, likely around 500 meters, which kept it outside the coverage of primary radar systems.
The general noted that two airspace violations were recorded in Latvia last night. The first object, likely a drone, entered from Belarus around 1 am, moved along the border, and later returned to Russia, remaining in the country’s airspace for 24 minutes.
The second object approached Latvia’s airspace from Russia at 2:19 am, after which it disappeared from radar. Air defense forces were deployed to intercept it, but the drone crashed and exploded near the village of Dobročina in the Krāslava region at approximately 2:35 am, about 12–15 km from the Belarusian border.
Leščinskis separately emphasized that the origin of the drone has not yet been definitively established — it could be either Russian or Ukrainian. At the same time, there are currently no indications that the drone was deliberately directed at Latvia.
He also explained that residents were not warned about the incident due to its short duration.
Decisions to shoot down such objects require weighing risks, since “everything that is shot down in the air will fall to the ground.”
Drones in the Baltic states
An unidentified drone entered Latvia’s airspace from Russia overnight. The incident occurred in the Krāslava district, where an explosion was heard, and drone debris was later found.
Another similar incident was recorded in Estonia: a drone crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Auvere.
