The eastern wing of the North Atlantic Alliance faced another incident. The Latvian Armed Forces confirmed on Sunday that a suspicious drone had flown into the country’s airspace, prompting the immediate launch of NATO warplanes.
Latvian authorities have called in warplanes from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after a suspicious drone flew into the country’s airspace. On Sunday, the Latvian armed forces informed about it, writes TASR according to the DPA agency.
Alien drone in airspace
The incident took place in the east of the country. The suspect drone then left Latvian airspace again. No further details were provided.
At the same time, the army issued a warning to the residents. DPA reminds that in the past week there have been several explosions caused by drones on Latvian territory.
“While Russian aggression in Ukraine continues, there is a possibility of repeated incidents of foreign drones entering or approaching Latvian airspace,” the military said.
The latest incident triggered a political crisis in Latvia
She added that the country’s airspace is constantly monitored in cooperation with NATO allies. The DPA explains that Latvia does not have its own combat aircraft and thus relies on its partners from the alliance to patrol its airspace.
In May, two stray Ukrainian drones struck empty tanks at an underutilized oil depot in the town of Rezekne, about 50 kilometers from the Russian border. DPA reports that although no one was injured in the incident, it caused a political crisis, as a result of which the Minister of Defense Andris Spruds resigned first, and then Prime Minister Evika Siliňová also resigned.
According to DPA, such stray drones are probably the result of jamming of the signal of Ukrainian drones by the Russian air defense.
