A French military Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Latvia from Russia, according to Latvian military forces. "Alliance fighter jets successfully shot down a drone flying in Latvian airspace!," the military said on X. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže repeated the message and thanked France for shooting down the drone. The French military jet that shot down the drone is based in Lithuania, in Šiauliai, as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission. Since 2004, the mission has been patrolling the skies of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Lithuanian military spokesman Gintautas Ciuna told AFP news agency that the incident occurred at around 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). What do we know about the incident? On Monday, authorities warned residents of several eastern Latvian regions to seek shelter indoors due to an imminent threat. The Latvian army reported that the warning ended when the drone was shot down. Latvia's Ministry of Defense said there were no reports of property damage or injuries among local residents. The military said the drone was a foreign aircraft that entered Latvian airspace as a result of "Russian electromagnetic warfare." Initially, no further details were available. Drone incidents in the Baltic states In recent months, Latvia, a NATO and EU member state bordering both Russia and Belarus, has experienced an increase in drone incidents. As Ukraine fights Russia's full-scale invasion against Ukraine, Ukraine has increased its long-range drone attacks on Russia, including over the Baltic Sea. Several Ukrainian drones have been found in the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Last month, NATO shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia. Kyiv has accused Russia of interfering with drone trajectories using electromagnetic warfare. So far, there has been no significant damage or loss of life in the region. Nevertheless, these incidents have led to political crisis in Latvia, leading to a change of government. Since February 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several Russian drones have crashed in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Edited by: Natalie Müller Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment Select us as your preferred source by clicking on the link and selecting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.
