NATO fighter jets have shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, Latvia’s Defence Ministry and armed forces confirmed on Friday, as concerns grow across Europe over unauthorised drone activity.
The Latvian Defence Ministry said the foreign unmanned aerial vehicle entered the country’s airspace as a result of what it described as Russian electromagnetic warfare.
The armed forces later confirmed that the threat had been neutralised, saying allied fighter jets successfully destroyed the drone after it entered the airspace of the NATO member state.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns across Europe as the Russia-Ukraine war continues and countries along NATO’s eastern flank report increasing drone incursions.
Latvia, an EU and NATO member with a population of about 1.9 million, shares a border with Russia to the east and has experienced several incidents involving drones entering its territory.
Neighbouring Finland also imposed temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Friday. Its defence forces said the precautionary measures were introduced to protect bystanders and maintain the operational capabilities of authorities responding to potential drone threats.
Hours later, the governor of Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, said Russian air defences had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones.
Drozdenko said a fire broke out at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga following the attack.
The latest incident follows another drone interception in Latvia on Monday, when French fighter jets deployed under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone. It was the first time the alliance’s rapid-reaction force had downed a stray drone over Latvia.
Drone-related security incidents have also been reported elsewhere in Europe. German authorities last week found an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig Airport, while operations at Hanover Airport were disrupted after another drone entered restricted airspace.
The incidents have intensified concerns among European governments over drone incursions and the potential security risks they pose to civilian infrastructure and NATO’s eastern flank.
