By Janis Laizans
RIGA, May 21 (Reuters) – Latvia’s armed forces said on Thursday that there was at least one drone flying in the country’s airspace and that NATO fighter jets were activated to combat the threat, the latest in a series of such security incidents in the Baltic region.
Ukraine has in recent months stepped up its long-range drone attacks on Russia, including via the Baltic Sea, and several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of NATO members Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
“We confirm that there is at least one unmanned aircraft in Latvian airspace,” the Latvian Armed Forces wrote on social media platform X.
One drone was confirmed to have crossed into Latvia from Belarus but its current whereabouts were not known, a military spokesperson told broadcaster Latvian Television.
The Latvian government resigned last week over its handling of the incursions, and talks are ongoing on appointing a new cabinet.
The armed forces in a statement told residents in eastern Latvia, bordering Russia and Belarus, to seek shelter indoors until further notice.
BALTICS BLAME MOSCOW
On Tuesday a NATO fighter jet shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over neighbouring Estonia, while a similar airspace violation in Lithuania on Wednesday halted air traffic to its capital and forced its lawmakers to take shelter underground.
“They (Ukraine) certainly don’t want their drones to end up on friendly territory for obvious reasons,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday.
“Sometimes it’s a matter of jamming. Sometimes it’s a matter of other disturbances,” he told a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The Baltic states, all strong backers of Ukraine, have blamed the incidents on Moscow, saying it redirects Ukrainian drones from their intended targets in Russia, but without providing evidence for the claims.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was monitoring the situation. It has previously accused the Baltic states of letting Ukraine launch drones from their territory, a claim which they and NATO strongly deny.
Poland’s defence minister on Thursday said Ukraine must be very precise when using drones to avoid giving Russia the opportunity to interfere with their flight path.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said that Russian threats to the Baltic countries were “unacceptable” and would be seen as threats to the whole European Union.
(Reporting by Janis Laizans in Riga, Stine Jacobsen in , editing by Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom and Sharon Singleton)
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