Latvia‘s defence ministry on Friday confirmed that NATO jets shot down a drone over eastern Latvian airspace, following an announcement from its military.
The interception came against a backdrop of heightened concern in Europe over unauthorised drone activity as the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on in its fifth year.
NATO “fighter jets have successfully shot down a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvia as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare”, the ministry wrote on X.
The threat had ended, the armed forces said in a post on X, adding that allied fighter jets successfully destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicle that entered the NATO member state’s airspace.
The EU and NATO member state of about 1.9 million inhabitants shares a border with Russia to the east.
It and other countries along the alliance’s Eastern flank have experienced numerous drone incursions into its territory.
Read moreFast and fearless: Baltic defence startups innovate to counter Russian threat
Baltic Sea neighbour Finland also imposed temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Friday, its defence forces said on X.
It described the move as a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of bystanders and the operational capabilities of authorities to counter potential drones.
Hours later, the governor of Russia‘s northwest Leningrad region said air defences had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones.
“A fire broke out at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga following the attack,” regional Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on Telegram.
Earlier in June, French fighter jets deployed to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone in Latvia, marking the first time the alliance’s rapid-reaction force has downed a stray drone over the country.
Read moreFrench NATO jet shoots down drone over Latvia as another explodes in Moldova
German authorities last week found an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig airport, while operations at Hanover airport were disrupted after a drone entered restricted airspace, officials told AFP on Tuesday
Countries neighbouring Russia and Ukraine issue air threat alerts and down drones from time to time as Moscow and Kyiv continue to exchange attacks.
Russia’s northern NATO neighbours are tightening security around dams, power plants and natural gas infrastructure in a sign of mounting concern that Moscow will stage a “false flag” attack on them using Ukrainian drones.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
