Russian drone crash in Latvia raises NATO defense concerns
A Russian military drone crashed on Saturday in the eastern part of Latvia, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs reported on Sunday. The Russian ambassador was summoned to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters on Monday.
"There is an ongoing investigation. We are in close contact with our allies. The number of such incidents is increasing along the Eastern flank of NATO and we must address them collectively," said the president of Latvia.
The Latvian Ministry of Defense reported that the drone fell on September 7 in the area of the city of Rēzekne in the eastern part of the country.
"Currently, the responsible services, in particular the police, continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident. However, the Ministry of Defense indicates that, according to preliminary data, it is a Russian drone of military importance," it stated.
According to preliminary information, the object that crashed is a Russian Federation military unmanned aerial vehicle. According to the information available to the National Armed Forces (NAF), it entered Latvian airspace from Belarus.
"The NAF is acting according to established procedures, including informing NATO command, responsible state officials, law enforcement agencies, and NATO countries in the region," the Latvian Ministry of Defense stated in a communication.
The commander of the NAF, Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš, reported that the aircraft entered Latvian airspace in the early hours of Saturday morning and was immediately detected by the armed forces.
"We assessed and monitored the situation to determine the level of danger and whether any objects or civilians were at risk," said Kalniņš.
According to the portal lsm.lv, preliminary information indicates that the object "did not have 'hostile intentions'."
"This incident confirms the need to continue strengthening Latvia's eastern border, including improving our air defense and electronic warfare capabilities, which will help limit the operations of drones with various uses," commented Minister of Defense Andris Sprūds, quoted by the Latvian Ministry of Defense.
Russian ambassador summoned to MFA
The Latvian MFA has already responded to the incident.
"A representative of the Russian embassy was summoned to the MFA for tomorrow, September 9. We informed allies, NATO, and EU leaders about this incident. Russia's war in Ukraine requires vigilance. Today, a similar incident occurred in Romania. We are vigilant, determined, composed, and considering the next steps with our allies," commented Baiba Braže, head of the Latvian MFA.
