Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics announced on Sunday that a Russian military drone crashed on Latvian soil, highlighting an increase in airspace breaches along NATO’s eastern borders. The Baltic nation, which transitioned from Soviet rule to becoming a member of both the EU and NATO, has seen strained relations with Russia, further exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
President Rinkevics reported via social media that the drone crashed in eastern Latvia and emphasized that an investigation is underway. “We are in close contact with our allies. The number of such incidents is increasing along NATO’s eastern flank, and we must address them collectively,” he stated.
Latvia’s defense ministry confirmed that the drone entered Latvian airspace from Belarus before crashing in the Rezekne municipality. Defence Minister Andris Spruds stressed the need to bolster Latvia’s eastern border security, including enhancing air defense and electronic warfare capabilities to counter UAV activities.
In a related development, Romania reported that a Russian attack drone, targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, breached its airspace overnight. Bucharest condemned this “renewed violation,” attributing it to Moscow’s “illegal attacks.”
Since the start of its invasion, Russia has conducted frequent nighttime assaults on Ukrainian cities, particularly targeting ports in the Odesa region following the collapse of a grain export deal.
Poland has also experienced at least two instances of airspace violations by Russian missiles or drones, with the most recent being in December. Although Warsaw recently reported a breach by a flying object, it later revised this claim.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, in a recent interview with the Financial Times, argued that Poland should have the authority to intercept Russian missiles aimed at Ukraine before they enter Polish airspace, despite opposition from NATO.
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