Nato jets scrambled as alliance forced to shoot down 'Russian suicide drone' in Latvian airspace
Ukraine has been striking targets within Russia, from ports and refineries to commercial warehouses, in a bid to raise the costs for Moscow of pursuing the full-scale war
Fighter jets on a NATO air defence mission have shot down a 'suicide drone' that entered Latvian airspace on Friday.
Listen to this article
Five bordering nations in the Baltic states were seen to declare airspace threats during the early hours of Friday, with airspace restrictions also imposed across Finland.
“Nato Baltic Air Policing mission fighters were scrambled in response to the threat in Latvian airspace”, said a Defence Ministry statement emerging from Riga.
Described as a "foreign unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)", the drone is said to have entered Latvian airspace as a result of "Russian electromagnetic warfare," Latvia's military said in a statement.
The drone incident comes after Ukraine attacked the Leningrad region, close to Finland and Estonia, leading to a fire at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, a major hub for oil exports.
Ukraine has been striking targets within Russia, from ports and refineries to commercial warehouses, in a bid to raise the costs for Moscow of pursuing the full-scale war it launched in 2022.
Fighters “successfully shot down” the unmanned, kamikaze drone, that is thought likely Ukrainian and involved in a four-hour strike on the Leningrad region around St Petersburg – but was redirected by Russian air defences, the Latvian ministry said.
Latvian armed forces have since lifted an air threat alert for regions close to Russia.
A spokesperson for NATO confirmed that an Italian Eurofighter "neutralised the potential threat" over an unpopulated area.
Finland, another EU and NATO member which also shares a border with Russia, temporarily restricted areas for aviation and maritime traffic in the eastern Gulf of Finland, its defence forces said on X, as a precautionary measure against possible drones.
Latvia's armed forces did not immediately provide details about the drone or its origin.
Countries neighbouring Russia and Ukraine issue air threat alerts and down drones from time to time as Moscow and Kyiv continue to exchange attacks after the outbreak of war.
Overnight, Russia shot down 15 drones in the Leningrad region, home to St Petersburg, the country second biggest city and a major export hub, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram early on Friday.
Russia's northern NATO neighbours are tightening security around dams, power plants and natural gas infrastructure in a sign of mounting concern that Moscow will stage a "false flag" attack on them using Ukrainian drones.