On September 7, the Latvian Defense Ministry announced that a suspected Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had crashed in eastern Latvia. This is the first confirmed case of a Russian drone crashing on Latvian soil. The incident occurred amidst a series of Russian drone violations of NATO countries’ airspace during attacks on Ukraine. Romania, a NATO partner of Latvia, also reported a Russian drone entering its territory on September 8.
According to the official statement published by the LSM public broadcaster, the drone entered Latvian airspace from Belarus. Latvia shares borders with both Russia and Belarus, and there have been previous instances of Russian drones straying off course towards Belarus during attacks on Ukraine. Some of these drones have even been reportedly shot down by Belarusian aircraft.
The Latvian Defense Ministry stated that the incident has been reported to relevant government officials, law enforcement authorities, and NATO countries in the region. The National Armed Forces were able to detect the UAV, monitor its movement, and locate the crash site. An investigation is currently ongoing.
Defense Minister Andris Spruds emphasized the need to continue strengthening Latvia’s eastern border in light of this incident. Similar incidents have occurred in Romania and Moldova, both non-NATO countries, where Russian drones have crashed. In addition, there have been instances of Russian drones and missiles violating Polish airspace, and a stray Ukrainian air defense missile launched to intercept a Russian attack resulted in the death of two Polish citizens in 2022.
Both Romania and Latvia have stated that there is no evidence to suggest that the drones intentionally entered their airspace. NATO has condemned Russia for these violations, but no action has been taken to intercept Russian projectiles. The allies have also resisted calls to shoot down Russian drones and missiles over Ukrainian airspace, as it could be seen as direct involvement in the ongoing conflict.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com