Russian drone crash in Latvia prompts airspace security alert
The military drone that violated Latvian airspace and crashed in the country is a Russian Shahed, confirmed the commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces, Gen. Leonids Kalnins. "The drone did not have a specific purpose to fly into Latvia," he said.
Latvian army units neutralized the payload carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle after it was found following the crash. The Russians commonly use shahed drones in their conflict with Ukraine. As stated by the armed forces during a Monday press conference, an investigation is underway to determine why this drone went off course.
The drone fell in eastern Latvia, in an open area near Rezekne. According to preliminary information, it entered from the direction of Belarus.
According to Defense Minister Andris Spruds, whether the drone was targeted at Ukraine or not is "secondary." The most important issue, he stated, is that Latvian airspace was violated by an unmanned vehicle used by an aggressor.
The drone was not shot down
Military officials also noted that the drone was not shot down because, at the border, one does not shoot indiscriminately. They need to be absolutely certain whether the suspicious object is not, for example, a civilian object like a glider or a small airplane. They emphasized that the drone's flight trajectory was monitored the entire time. They also recalled that in the past, Belarusian drones have entered Latvian airspace.
As long as the war in Ukraine continues, there are no guarantees that such incidents involving drones will not occur again, Gen. Kalnins admitted.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze confirmed that following the incident, a representative of the Russian embassy was summoned for a discussion on Monday afternoon.
