NATO mission over Latvia: drone shot down by fighter jet

The shootdown took place at 10:05 a.m. local time over the community of Berzgale near Rezekne in the east of the country, Brigadier General Kaspars Zdanovskis said at a press conference with Defense Minister Raivis Melnis. Melnis initially did not confirm the widely published information that the drone was shot down by a French fighter jet. The exact location of the crash is also still unclear. There were initially no reports of injuries or damage. The search for debris is ongoing.

In Latvia, the authorities had previously informed residents of several regions in the east of the country about a possible threat to the airspace. In two of them, the population was asked to seek protection. The alarm was canceled after the drone was shot down – as was notification of another possible threat a short time later.

Prime Minister thanks the army and NATO

Latvia’s Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs thanked the Latvian army and NATO allies for their commitment. Thanks to “quick decisions and professional action,” a drone flown into Latvia was successfully shot down for the first time, he wrote on

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own fighter jets. NATO has therefore been securing Baltic airspace since 2004. To this end, the allies are regularly moving combat aircraft and personnel to the Baltic Sea states in northeastern Europe. The units are stationed at military airports in Ämari (Estonia) and Siauliai (Lithuania).

Moldova reports discovery of drone debris

According to the Ministry of Defense, debris from a drone was also found in a field not far from the Ukrainian border in the Republic of Moldova on Monday. Surveillance systems registered the aircraft’s intrusion at night. Moldovan President Maia Sandu is calling for the purchase of interceptor drones in view of repeated airspace violations.

Moldova condemns the incident “in the strongest possible terms,” the government said in its Telegram channel. “Regardless of the origin of the drone, responsibility for any drone that lands on the territory of Moldova lies with Russia,” the Foreign Ministry added in a separate post. According to the government in Chisinau, it was probably a drone of Ukrainian origin.

Repeated drone incidents

Stray military drones are increasingly fueling fears in the Baltic states and Finland that the war in Ukraine will spill over into NATO’s northern borders. There have already been several incidents involving drones in Latvia as a result of the war in Ukraine.

During Ukrainian attacks, misguided unmanned missiles with which Kiev had attacked targets in northwestern Russia had repeatedly penetrated the airspace of the Baltic state and crashed. There was no major damage or injuries. The incidents nevertheless triggered a political crisis in Latvia and led to a change of government.

In the past two weeks, drones exploded in two incidents in neighboring Romania, which also borders Ukraine.