NATO jets shoot down drone over Latvia

NATO fighter jets from Italy and Turkey shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace over the Balvi region on Friday. The two Italian Eurofighters and two Turkish F-16s, operating under NATO command, engaged the unmanned aircraft, successfully destroying it. Latvia's military had issued an air alert, advising residents in the affected areas to remain indoors and seek shelter.

Authorities stated the foreign drone had entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare activity, though the drone's origin remained unclear. NATO announced an ongoing investigation into the incident.

Latvian authorities did not identify the drone as Ukrainian. However, the mention of Russian electronic warfare raised speculation that a Ukrainian drone, targeting Russia, had been disrupted by interference. Recent developments suggest that Ukrainian forces had targeted targets in northwestern Russia overnight, according to Latvian media.

Drones have frequently intruded into Latvia's and other NATO countries along the alliance's eastern flank airspace since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A stray drone was shot down over Latvia in early June, while other Ukrainian drones targeting northwestern Russia had previously entered Latvian airspace and crashed.

Romanian and Spanish fighter jets were also deployed on Thursday following drones entering Romanian airspace near Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania do not possess their own fighter aircraft, so NATO allies take turns in policing their skies. The Italian Eurofighters involved in the Friday interception are stationed at the Siauliai air base in Lithuania.

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