NATO jets shoot down drone over Latvia

NATO jets from the Baltic Air Policing mission intercepted and shot down a drone that breached Latvian airspace overnight, according to the country's armed forces. The incident occurred near the village of Rugāji in northeastern Latvia, close to the Russian border, following the deployment of Italian Eurofighters from Lithuania and Turkish F-16s from Estonia. The uncrewed aerial vehicle entered Latvian airspace due to "Russian electromagnetic warfare," stated the Latvian National Armed Forces in a press release.

Earlier on Friday, over 50 Ukrainian drones targeted locations in Russia's western regions, including Leningrad and Tver. The targeted sites comprised Ust-Luga, the second-largest port in Russia, and a warehouse belonging to the e-commerce giant Wildberries. Latvia's military cautioned that similar occurrences may transpire in the future, given the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.

An air raid alert was issued in four eastern Latvian municipalities around 4 a.m. local time. Authorities instructed residents to remain indoors and steer clear of exterior walls. Upon the drone's destruction, Sandra Kapteine, head of the Rugāji village administration, confirmed to the Latvian Information Agency that no casualties resulted from the incident, as the wreckage fell in a wooded area.

Notably, there has been an increase in comparable incidents in recent months within nations proximate to the conflict zone. A week prior, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov disclosed that a Ukrainian-made drone crossed Bulgarian airspace from Romania, ultimately exploding near the village of Kardam.