The Latvian National Armed Forces have reported that, during the night of 14 August, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Latvian territory.
The drone was shot down near the town of Balvi in north-eastern Latvia, the Armed Forces said. It is claimed that the drone entered the country’s airspace ‘as a result of Russia’s use of electronic warfare measures’.
“As long as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues, there may be further instances of foreign unmanned aerial vehicles entering or approaching Latvian airspace,” the statement said.
No damage has been reported as a result of the drone debris falling.
Overnight, the Latvian authorities reported a threat to the airspace of several regions of the country bordering Russia and Belarus.
This is not the first time that drones have strayed into the territory of the Baltic states. On 19 May, a Ukrainian drone was shot down over Estonian territory for the first time. Since then, drones have repeatedly strayed into the territory of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
The Ukrainian side noted that the drones were straying into the territory of the Baltic states due to the actions of Russian electronic warfare systems. The foreign ministers of Lithuania and Estonia also accused Russia of deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones.