Latvia says Russian drone crashed on its territory.
A suspected Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in eastern Latvia on Sept.
7, the Latvian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sept.
8. This would be the first confirmed case on Latvian soil. It comes as another case of Russian drones violating the airspace of NATO countries during mass aerial attacks against Ukraine.
Latvia's NATO partner, Romania, also reported on a Russian drone entering its territory on Sept.
8. "According to information available to the (Latvian) Armed Forces, the drone flew into our airspace from Belarus," read the official statement published by the LSM public broadcaster. Latvia borders both Russia and its key ally in the region, Belarus.
There have been multiple recorded cases of Russian Shahed-type drones veering off course toward Belarus during attacks on Ukraine, with some even being reportedly shot down by Belarusian aircraft. "The incident has been brought to the attention of the relevant government officials, law enforcement authorities, and NATO countries in the region," the Latvian Defense Ministry said. "The National Armed Forces detected the UAV entering Latvian territory, monitored its movement, and located the crash site.
The investigation is ongoing." According to Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds, the incident "confirms that we need to continue strengthening Latvia's eastern border." Russian drones have previously crashed in Romania and its non-NATO neighbor, Moldova.
Other drones and missiles have also violated the Polish airspace on several occasions, and a stray Ukrainain air defense missile launched to intercept a Russian attack killed two Polish citizens in 2022. Both Romania and Latvia said that there is no indication that the drones entered their airspace on purpose. NATO has repeatedly condemned Russia for violating the airspace of its members, but no steps to intercept Russian projectiles have been taken. The allies have also resisted calls to shoot down Russian drones and missiles over Ukrainian airspace, fearing it would be seen as a direct involvement in the war.
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