NATO fighter jets shoot down drone over Latvia for first time
Photo: NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Latvia for the first time (Getty Images)
This morning, June 8, French NATO fighter jets shot down an unidentified drone that violated Latvian airspace. This is the first such incident, according to LRT.
The Latvian National Armed Forces reported that the drone entered the country’s territory due to Russian electronic warfare operations, that is, Russia jammed signals, causing the drone to veer off course and cross the border.
NATO fighter jets on a Baltic airspace patrol mission shot it down.
How events unfolded
On Monday morning, the Latvian military declared an air threat in several regions simultaneously. Residents received alerts on their mobile phones.
The alert was issued in four municipalities:
- Rēzekne
- Ludza
- Balvi
- Alūksne
Around 9:40 a.m., an orange alert, one of two alert levels used by the Latvian military, was issued in the Rēzekne and Ludza districts.
After NATO fighter jets shot down a drone, Latvia once again declared an air emergency.
According to media reports, an air threat was declared in the country on Monday at around 11:35 a.m. local time.
Drones in Latvia
In recent weeks, Latvia has repeatedly detected the presence of drones in its airspace.
On May 7, two Ukrainian drones that entered Latvia from Russia struck oil storage facilities in Rēzekne. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the drones deviated from their route due to the operation of Russian electronic warfare systems.
Following this incident, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned, and the country’s government subsequently stepped down.
Starting on May 19, Latvia issued air raid alerts for three consecutive days due to the threat of drones. Then, on May 23, a drone crashed into Lake Drīdzis in the eastern part of the country and exploded upon contact with the water.
