NATO aircraft shoot down foreign drone after it entered Latvian airspace

A drone entered Latvian airspace and was shot down by fighter jets from a NATO ally, the Latvian military announced on Friday.

The military stated on the X platform that the air alert was lifted after the drone was intercepted. Earlier, authorities had urged residents across Latvia to avoid going outdoors and to seek shelter.

The military did not initially identify the drone’s origin, but said the foreign drone entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare activity over the Balvi region. This suggested it may have been a Ukrainian drone that deviated from its course due to Russian electronic jamming.

It was not immediately clear which fighter jets shot down the drone. NATO member states rotate the responsibility for guarding the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with larger alliance members providing the fighter aircraft.

Latvia, a member of NATO and the European Union with a population of approximately 1.9 million, shares an eastern border with Russia. Both Russia and Ukraine have extensively used drones in the war in Ukraine.