NATO jets shoot down drone over Latvia after it enters airspace from Belarus

Latvia will continue to intercept and destroy drones that violate its airspace to protect the public and property, Melnis said.

The risk of further incursions remains, he added. Melnis linked that threat to Ukraine’s continued drone strikes on Russian territory in defense against Moscow’s aggression and to countermeasures taken by Russia.

The defense minister acknowledged that Latvia does not yet have enough counter-drone systems or radar equipment along its border.

The country plans to deploy domestically produced equipment across its entire frontier with Russia and Belarus by the end of September, he said.

“We are proceeding according to plan,” Melnis said. “Today, I will meet with representatives of the National Armed Forces. We will review the current situation and assess whether any further adjustments to the plan are needed.”

Experts are still examining wreckage from the drone found in Balvi municipality.

NATO Baltic Air Policing fighter jets intercepted the aircraft on the morning of Aug. 14. It was shot down over a wooded area, and no one was injured.

The Latvian military described the drone as foreign and suggested that Russian air-defense jamming may have diverted it into Latvian airspace.

Officials had previously warned that similar incidents could occur as long as Russia’s war against Ukraine continued.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said he could not rule out the possibility that the incursion was a “false flag” operation.