A French Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace from Russia on Monday (8 June), triggering security alerts and renewing concerns about the impact of the war in Ukraine on NATO's eastern flank.
The Latvian army said the drone crossed into the country "as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare", although it did not identify who launched it.
"Allied fighter jets successfully shoot down a drone flying into Latvian airspace!" the army said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, authorities urged residents in eastern Latvia to remain indoors as a precaution while the drone was being tracked.
The warning was lifted after the aircraft was destroyed. However, a separate air threat alert was later issued for people living in the same region, underlining ongoing concerns about activity near Latvia's border.
For communities close to Russia, such warnings have become an unsettling reminder of how quickly regional tensions can spill across national borders.
The incident is the latest in a series of cases involving military drones entering the airspace of countries bordering Russia.
Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks against Russian targets in recent months, including in areas near the Baltic Sea. Several drones linked to those operations have previously strayed into the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Ukrainian officials have blamed such incidents on Russian electromagnetic warfare systems interfering with drone navigation and forcing them off course.
The French aircraft involved in Monday's interception is based at Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission.
The operation has protected the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since the three Baltic states joined the alliance in 2004. The current mission also includes Romanian F-16 fighter jets based in Lithuania and Portuguese F-16s stationed in Estonia.
Last month, a Romanian fighter taking part in the same mission shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia. NATO described it as the first time a fighter jet had "fired a missile in defence of the Alliance" in the Baltic region.
The latest incident is likely to heighten concerns among NATO members about the growing risks posed by military activity near the alliance's eastern frontier.
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