French military Rafale fighter jets on Monday shot down a drone that entered Latvia’s airspace from Russia, according to the Latvian military.
“Allied fighter jets successfully shot down a drone flying in Latvian airspace,” the army said in a post on Twitter.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Brez reposted the message and thanked France for shooting down the drone.
The French military jet that shot down the drone is deployed to Siauliai, Lithuania, as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission. Since 2004, the mission has patrolled the skies over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Lithuanian military spokesman Gintautas Siunis told the AFP news agency that the incident occurred at about 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT).
What do we know about the incident?
Earlier on Monday, authorities warned people in several eastern Latvian regions to shelter indoors due to imminent danger.
According to the Latvian army, the alert ended after the drone was shot down.
The Latvian Defense Ministry said there were no reports of property damage or injuries among local residents.
The military said the drone was a foreign aircraft that reached Latvian airspace as a result of “Russian electromagnetic warfare.”
Initially, no further details were available.
Drone incidents in the Baltic states
In recent months, Latvia – a NATO and EU member that neighbors both Russia and Belarus – has seen an increase in drone incidents.
Fighting Russia’s full-scale aggression, Ukraine has increased its long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea region.
Several Ukrainian drones have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Last month, NATO shot down an alleged Ukrainian drone over Estonia.
Kiev has accused Russia of interfering with drone paths using electromagnetic warfare.
To date, there has been no major damage or loss of life in the area. Nevertheless, these events have caused a political crisis in Latvia, leading to a change of government.
Several Russian drones have also crashed in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Edited by: Natalie Muller
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