NATO aircraft shot down a drone in Latvian airspace, the Reuters news agency reported. Moments earlier, the Latvian Armed Forces had warned of a possible threat in the airspace over the districts of Ludza, Balvi, and Aluksne.
Residents in the eastern part of the country received orange alerts warning of an airspace threat. They were urged to take immediate precautions, including seeking safe shelter. Meanwhile, residents in northeastern Latvia received yellow – warning – alerts about a potential airspace threat.
In May, residents of eastern Latvia received a total of nine alerts related to drone threats. At the beginning of the month, two unmanned aerial vehicles fell onto empty fuel tanks in Rezekne, and one exploded in Lake Dridza. In the remaining cases, the drones were either not detected in Latvian airspace or quickly left it.
On Thursday, the commander of the Latvian Armed Forces, General Kaspars Pudans, warned in an interview with the Financial Times that Russia has gained a technological advantage that it could use to attack NATO by the end of 2028.
Eastern Latvia remains particularly vulnerable to drone-related incidents. On May 7, two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, launched against targets in Russia, fell on Latvian territory and damaged an oil storage facility in Rezekne.