Russian drone crashes in Latvia, airspace violation confirmed
The military drone that violated Latvian airspace and crashed in the country is a Russian Shahed, confirmed the commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces, Gen. Leonids Kalnins. The drone "did not have a specific purpose to fly into Latvia," he said.
Latvian army units neutralized the payload carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle after it was found following the collision with the ground. Shahed drones are commonly used by Russians in fighting against Ukraine. The armed forces stated during a Monday press conference that an investigation is underway to determine why this drone went off course.
The drone fell in eastern Latvia in an open area near Rezekne. According to preliminary information, it entered from the direction of Belarus.
According to Defence Minister Andris Spruds, the issue of whether the drone was targeted at Ukraine or not is "secondary," and the most important thing is that Latvian airspace was violated by an unmanned vehicle used by an aggressor.
The drone was not shot down
Military officials also said that the drone was not shot down because, at the border, one does not shoot indiscriminately and needs to be certain whether the suspicious object is not, for example, a civilian object like a glider or a small airplane. They emphasized that the drone's flight trajectory was monitored the entire time. They also recalled that in the past, Belarusian drones have entered Latvian airspace.
As long as the war in Ukraine continues, there are no guarantees that such incidents involving drones will not occur again, Gen. Kalnins admitted.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze confirmed that following the incident, a representative of the Russian embassy was summoned for a discussion on Monday afternoon.
