Russian drones breach airspace: NATO warns on growing risks

Although we do not have information indicating a deliberate attack by Russia on allies, these actions are irresponsible and potentially dangerous, said NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah, commenting on the information about Russian drones violating the airspace of Latvia and Romania.

A Russian drone crashed on Saturday in eastern Latvia. The incident occurred in the region of the city of Rezekne. According to preliminary data, the drone entered Latvian airspace from Belarus. The country's authorities did not specify what type of unmanned aerial vehicle it was.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, fragments of Russian drones and missiles have been found on allied territory several times. Although we do not have information indicating a deliberate attack by Russia on allies, these actions are irresponsible and potentially dangerous. In response to Russia's war, NATO has significantly increased its presence on the eastern flank, including in Romania and Latvia, noted Farah Dakhlallah.

The Latvian military and police are investigating the incident. Latvia's armed forces have informed NATO member states about it. They previously detected the drone entering Latvian territory, monitored its movement, and located the crash site.

Romania also reported that a Russian drone entered Romanian airspace at around 3 a.m. ET on Sunday while Russia was attacking Ukraine. The search for the drone is ongoing.

In the border regions of Romania in the Danube Delta, fragments of Russian drones had previously fallen. According to Romanian authorities, these were drones used in attacks on Ukraine, and Romania itself was not the target of the attack.