Latvia scrambled fighter jets over a stray drone
Early on the morning of May 17, a drone resembling the Ukrainian FP-1 briefly entered Latvian airspace; official warnings were issued in five border regions regarding a potential threat from an unidentified aerial object.
This was reported by Delfi, citing the country’s National Armed Forces (NAF).
The potential threat was initially detected in the southeastern regions near the Belarusian border and later spread to the northeastern territories, according to Delfi. Military command confirmed that one unmanned aerial vehicle entered Latvian territory but soon left on its own, allowing security forces to gradually lift the alert.
To respond promptly to the incident, NATO fighter jets on duty, which regularly patrol the airspace of the Baltic states, were immediately scrambled. The national armed forces, together with Western allies, continue to monitor the situation around the clock to counter potential provocations. Against the backdrop of regular threats and a full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, the country’s authorities have decided to further strengthen air defense and redeploy specialized units to the eastern borders.
Latvia has issued a note of protest to Russia over drones that entered the country’s territory.
Latvia acknowledged the failure of its drone detection systems following the downing of Russian UAVs.
