Latvia’s centre-right Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has resigned after sacking her Defence Minister over the army’s failure to shoot down stray Ukrainian drones. Two Ukrainian drones aimed at Russia accidentally crashed in Latvia last Thursday (7 May), with one exploding at an oil storage unit.
The drones were not detected as they flew in from Russia, the head of the Latvian army said. Siliņa blamed Defence Minister Andris Sprūds for failing to develop anti-drone systems quickly enough and demanded his resignation.
Sprūds resigned on Sunday (10 May) and Siliņa appointed Latvian army colonel Raivis Melnis as the new Defence Minister.
However, in response, Sprūds’ Progressives Party withdrew its support from Siliņa’s coalition government, leaving her without a parliamentary majority.
“I am resigning, but I am not giving up,” Siliņa, who has served as Prime Minister since 2023, said in a televised statement.
Siliņa’s resignation came just months before an election due in October. Right-wing populist party Latvia First is currently leading in the polls, while Siliņa’s New Unity party is trailing in third or fourth place in recent surveys.
Her government will remain in office in a caretaker capacity until a replacement is sworn in. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who is tasked under the constitution with selecting a new head of government, is due to meet all parliamentary parties on Friday.
Latvia and Lithuania called on NATO to strengthen air defences in their countries following last week’s drone incident, in which four empty oil tanks were damaged at a storage site in the Latvian city of Rēzekne, about 40 km (25 miles) from the Russian border.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha blamed “Russian electronic warfare” for “deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones " from targets in Russia.
Ukraine is considering sending experts to help strengthen air security over the Baltic states, Sybiha added.
Several stray Ukrainian military drones struck Latvia and its Baltic NATO neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March. One hit a chimney at a local power station, while another crash-landed in a frozen lake before exploding.
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