Early in the morning, the Latvian Armed Forces issued an orange air alert for several eastern regions of the country, including Balvi, Rēzekne, Alūksne, and Preiļi. Residents received alerts on their mobile phones advising them to remain indoors and prepare to take shelter if necessary. The alert remained in effect for about an hour.
Illustrative photo: NATO Air Command
The UAV was ultimately shot down over Bērzgale, in the Rēzekne area, by an aircraft scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base. An Italian contingent equipped with Eurofighter multirole combat aircraft is currently stationed at the base as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. The object was destroyed over an uninhabited area, causing no damage to civilians or infrastructure.
Latvia, like the other Baltic states, has for months experienced incidents involving drones that cross NATO borders as a result of electronic interference. A similar event occurred in May, when Russian electronic warfare systems were reportedly responsible for diverting a Ukrainian UAV toward Alliance territory. The Latvian foreign minister thanked allied forces for their rapid response, while Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs praised the professional response and efficient decision-making.
Friday morning’s incident once again demonstrates that the war in Ukraine is generating real threats to NATO member states and that the activity of Russian jamming systems can lead to uncontrolled airspace violations. The rapid response by Alliance combat aircraft confirms NATO’s readiness to defend its borders and maintain stability on the eastern flank. Statistics indicate that the number of quick-reaction alert scrambles by aircraft stationed on the eastern flank, including in the Baltic states, is steadily increasing. The reasons cited include both growing activity by Russian military aviation and incidents involving airspace violations by unmanned platforms.