Latvia prepares largest batch of drones yet for Ukraine.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Latvia is preparing to transfer its largest batch of drones yet to Ukraine, the country's Defense Minister Andris Spruds said on Aug.

22. In a post on X, he said the latest shipment consists of 1,400 drones, and it marked the conclusion of a program between the country's defense ministry and Latvian manufacturers that had procured 2,700 drones in total. "Together with Latvian companies, we will continue to provide support until the victory of Ukraine," he added.

The drones have been provided in the framework of the international drone coalition. In early July, the defense ministry announced that Riga would send more than 2,500 combat drones of different types, worth 4 million euros (£4.3 million), to Ukraine. Spruds announced back in May that the Latvian government would invest around 20 million euros (£22 million) in the drone coalition this year, and a similar sum to the development of Latvia's own drone capabilities.

Along with the U.K., Latvia is the leader of the drone coalition, an allied initiative established to supply Ukrainian forces with this crucial capability. The coalition was established in January to bolster Ukraine's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Seven countries, apart from the founding states, have joined the alliance, including Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, and Denmark.

Ukraine is also working to scale up domestic production, aiming to produce at least 1 million drones in 2024.

Morning in Sudzha: Inside Ukrainian-occupied Russia as Kursk operation continues

Editor's note: The Kyiv Independent traveled into Russia's Kursk Oblast with Ukrainian soldiers during the ongoing Ukrainian cross-border offensive in the area.

Since the trip constitutes an unsanctioned crossing of the state border between Russia and Ukraine, the identities of the author of the rep...