NATO allied fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace over the northeastern Balvi region early Friday, Latvia’s armed forces said, prompting a temporary air alert in the country’s eastern regions.
An orange airspace alert was issued shortly before 04:00 local time in the municipalities of Augsdaugava, Preili, Rezekne, Balvi and Aluksne. Residents received mobile phone warnings urging them to take immediate precautions and seek shelter. The alert was lifted about an hour later after the drone was shot down.
Latvia’s armed forces initially did not provide details about the drone’s origin. They described it as a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare, suggesting it may have been a Ukrainian drone.
Iveta Bērziņa, a spokeswoman for the Latvian armed forces’ Joint Headquarters, told Latvian Radio that she could not say how close to populated areas the drone was when it was shot down.
The incident also prompted Finland to temporarily restrict air and maritime traffic in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, according to the information provided by Latvian authorities.
