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.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leade...
Qatar has discussed potential investment in Afghanistan’s oil and gas sectors and the construction of a crude o...
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is not pursuing a military conflict but promised a strong response to 'agg...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is not pursuing a military conflict but promised a strong response to 'aggressors' while the Army and Revolutionary Guards said they carried out retaliatory attacks against U.S. bases in the region on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Pakistan is set to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after the bloc’s leaders meet in Bishkek. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived on Friday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and SCO Plus Summit, which run until 2 September.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, saying security operations should be handled only by state institutions, including the army and police.
Rescue teams in Nepal, supported by Chinese and Indian experts, worked through the night to reach hundreds of people believed to be trapped inside blocked hydropower project tunnels following last week’s catastrophic Himalayan flood.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment