Combat drones: Latvia boosts Ukraine’s defense with 2,500 units

Up to 2,500 combat drones worth a total of approximately CAD 6.1 million are set to be delivered to Ukraine from Latvia. According to the press office of the Latvian Minister of National Defence, they are expected to begin their service in the coming weeks. This is another instance of support for Ukraine by the so-called drone coalition.

For over two years, most European and Western countries have been involved in helping war-torn Ukraine. The countries particularly dedicated to this cause belong to the so-called drone coalition, which includes: Latvia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Sweden, and Estonia.

Since the beginning of the war, the goal has consistently been to provide as much support as possible for the soldiers fighting on the front line. This is largely reflected in the purchase of unmanned machines, where Latvia and the United Kingdom are leading the way.

So far this year alone, the first of these countries has provided CAD 15.1 million solely for this purpose.

The drone coalition is gaining momentum. The next batch heading to Ukraine consists of over 2,500 drones made by seven Latvian companies. Together with the participants of the drone coalition, we continuously work on supplying Ukraine with combat drones of various capabilities according to the current needs and testing requirements of the Ukrainian army, assured the Latvian minister, quoted by Bielsat.

The goal of the mentioned coalition is to supply the war-torn country with up to a million drones. It’s already known that CAD 760 million has been collected for this purpose. Latvia itself has pledged to contribute at least CAD 15.1 million annually. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Netherlands government also announced the initial dispatch of drones to Ukraine.

I can't provide the exact number, but we are already delivering drones to Ukraine. Of course, I believe that this drone coalition is very important, as it means we can pool our efforts, increasing the number of drones and sending them according to Ukraine's needs, said Dutch Defence Minister Kaisa Ollongren, quoted by Bielsat.