Russian drone crash in Latvia raises NATO security concerns

A Russian military drone crashed on Saturday in the eastern part of Latvia, said Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs on Sunday. The Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters on Monday.

"An investigation is ongoing. We are in close contact with our allies. The number of such incidents is increasing along NATO's eastern flank, and we need to address them collectively," said Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs.

The Ministry of Defence of Latvia reported that the drone fell on Saturday, September 7th, in the area of the city Rēzekne in the east of the country.

"Currently, the Latvian Army and other responsible services are still investigating the circumstances of the incident. According to initial data, it is a military unmanned aerial vehicle of the Russian Federation," it was reported.

According to the information held by the National Armed Forces (NBS), it entered Latvian airspace from Belarus.

"The NBS is acting in accordance with established procedures, including notifying NATO command, responsible state officials, law enforcement agencies, and NATO countries in the region," said the Latvian Ministry of Defence.

Commander of the NBS, General Leonids Kalniņš, said that "the unmanned aerial vehicle entered Latvian airspace early Saturday morning and was immediately detected."

"We assessed and monitored the situation to determine how dangerous it was and whether there could be a threat to objects and civilian populations," said Kalniņš.

According to the lsm.lv portal, preliminary information indicates that the object "did not have 'hostile intentions'."

"This situation confirms that we must continue the ongoing work on strengthening Latvia's eastern border, including the development of air defence and electronic warfare capabilities, which will allow us to limit the operation of drones for various purposes," commented Defence Minister Andris Sprūds, quoted by the Latvian Ministry of Defence.

The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already reacted to the incident.

"A representative of the Russian embassy has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tomorrow, September 9th. We have informed our allies, NATO, and EU leaders about this incident. Russia's war in Ukraine requires vigilance. Today, a similar incident occurred in Romania. We are vigilant, determined, composed, and considering further steps with our allies," commented Baiba Braže, head of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Thanks to the readiness of the defence sector for such situations and cooperation with internal security services, the drone was detected on Latvian territory, its movement was monitored, and the crash site identified," commented Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa on Sunday.