Russian drone shot down in Latvia was likely Shahed
Russian drone shot down in Latvia was likely Shahed (photo: Getty Images)
The drone that recently went down in Latvia could have been a Russian Shahed. It came in through Belarus, according to Belarussian media.
According to media, on Saturday, September 7, at about six in the morning, a kamikaze drone was spotted in Belarus. It was flying near Navahrudak. Later, the drone disappeared, but according to preliminary data, it was moving north.
At about 10:00 a.m., an air force helicopter took off near Rezekne, Latvia, conducting patrols on the border with Belarus. However, the drone that was spotted in Belarus could have reached Latvia. After all, the distance from Navahrudak to Rezekne is about 335 km, and at an average speed of 200 km/h, the drone could have reached Rezekne around 8:30 am.
From this, we can conclude that the drone that crashed near Rezekne could be the same Shahed that flew near Navahrudak in the morning.
What preceded it
Today, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that a Russian military drone had crashed in the eastern part of his country. As of now, an investigation is underway.
“We are in close contact with our allies,” the president wrote.
On the night of September 7, Russians attacked Ukraine with dozens of kamikaze drones. In total, Russia launched 67 drones in Ukraine, and air defense shot down 58 Shaheds.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, six drones flew to Russia, Belarus, and the temporarily occupied Luhansk region.
This is not the first time that Russian drones have flown into Belarus during attacks in Ukraine. The first time such a flight was recorded on July 12, and in total, at least nine Shaheds flew into Belarus in July.
