A Russian military drone crashed on Latvian territory, according to the country's Ministry of Defense. The incident occurred on September 7 in the Rezekne region. The authorities are currently investigating the circumstances of the event. Preliminary findings suggest that the drone entered Latvian airspace from Belarus. The Latvian Ministry of Defense has already informed NATO command about the incident.
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds emphasized the need to strengthen the country's eastern border, with a particular focus on developing air defense and electronic warfare capabilities. President Edgars Rinkēvičs noted that such incidents on NATO's eastern flank have increased, requiring a collective response. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Broka announced plans to summon the Russian ambassador for clarification.
This is the first instance since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine where a Russian military drone has violated Latvian airspace. However, Russian drones have previously intruded into other NATO countries. For example, on the night of September 8, a similar incident occurred in Romania, prompting the Romanian military to scramble fighter jets. Earlier, Russian UAVs had entered Romanian airspace in July of this year, as well as in December and September 2023.
Additionally, during massive attacks on Ukraine, Russian shells have repeatedly landed on Polish territory. In November 2022, two people were killed when two rockets fell in the Polish village of Przewodów. Russia claimed that the rockets belonged to Ukrainian air defense, while Polish President Andrzej Duda referred to the incident as an "accident." In recent months, the Polish Air Force has scrambled fighter jets several times due to increased Russian aviation activity.
However, it is not only NATO countries facing such incidents.
On the night of September 5, Russian kamikaze drones intruded into Belarusian airspace, repeating similar violations recorded on August 29, July 12, 13, and 16, as well as August 26, when three Russian UAVs crossed the Belarusian border.
