Rezekne, Latvia. Latvia’s army said two drones entered its territory from Russia and crashed on Thursday morning, as authorities reported damage at a storage facility near the border.
Military and government response
Latvia’s Defence Minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM the drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia. He said military jets from the multinational NATO Baltic air police mission had been summoned to the site.
Damage reported at storage facility
Police and firefighters said four empty oil tanks were damaged on Thursday morning at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40 km from the Russian border, and possible debris from a crashed drone was found at the site. Firefighters extinguished a smouldering area of around 30 square meters in one of the tanks.
Alerts and local measures
Latvian authorities issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4:09 a.m. local time (0109 GMT), asking them to stay indoors. The municipality said all schools in Rezekne would be closed on Thursday.
Earlier incidents in the Baltic region
Several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its NATO neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March, including one that slammed into a chimney at a local power station and another that crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded. The drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia.
Position on drone attacks
The foreign ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania said in April that the three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia.
How do you think Latvia and its NATO allies should respond to repeated drone incidents near the border?
