Riga, Aug 14 (V7N) – NATO fighter jets shot down a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that entered Latvian airspace on Friday, the country's defence ministry confirmed, amid heightened concern in Europe over unauthorised drone activity as the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on more than four years.
The ministry wrote on X that NATO "fighter jets have successfully shot down a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvia as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare." The armed forces later confirmed the threat had ended, adding that allied fighter jets successfully destroyed the UAV that entered the NATO member state's airspace.
Latvia, an EU and NATO member state of about 1.9 million inhabitants, shares a border with Russia to the east. It and other countries along the alliance's Eastern flank have experienced numerous drone incursions into their territory in recent months.
Baltic Sea neighbour Finland also imposed temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Friday, with its defence forces describing the move as a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of bystanders and the operational capabilities of authorities to counter potential drones.
Hours later, the governor of Russia's northwest Leningrad region said air defences had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones. "A fire broke out at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga following the attack," regional Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on Telegram.
On Monday, French fighter jets deployed to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone in Latvia, marking the first time the alliance's rapid-reaction force has downed a stray drone over the country.
German authorities last week found an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig airport, while operations at Hanover airport were disrupted after a drone entered restricted airspace, officials told AFP on Tuesday.
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