Russian UAV crashed in Latvia on Saturday

Oleh Pavliuk — Sunday, 8 September 2024, 15:07

A Russian military drone crashed in the east of Latvia on Saturday 7 September. 

Source: Latvian Ministry of Defence, as reported by European Pravda 

Details: According to the defence ministry, the incident occurred on Saturday in the Rezekne region in eastern Latvia.

The competent institutions are still investigating the event, but preliminary data indicates that a Russian military drone entered Latvian airspace from Belarus.

In accordance with established procedures, Latvian defence forces notified high-ranking government representatives, law enforcement officers, and NATO commanders about the occurrence. The incident is currently being investigated.

As far as it is known, this is the first time a Russian military drone has violated Latvian airspace since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In light of this, Latvia's Minister of Defence, Andris Sprūds, emphasised the importance of continuing the work initiated to fortify the country's eastern border, particularly the development of air defence capabilities and electronic warfare.

Background:

  • Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics emphasised the necessity of a unified reaction to incidents involving Russian drones, stating that "the number of such incidents on NATO's eastern flank is growing".
  • On Monday 9 September, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže reported a call from a representative of the Russian Embassy, citing a similar event with a Russian drone in Romania.

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