A NATO fighter jet scrambled to shoot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace from Russian territory. The incident occurred on June 10 and adds to a growing list of intrusions linked to the Russia-Ukraine war affecting neighboring NATO countries, raising concerns about widening spillover effects.
Latvia's military announced that a French fighter jet destroyed “a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that violated Latvian airspace due to Russian electronic warfare,” but did not specify the drone's origin. Defense Minister Raivis Melnis said the drone was shot down at 9 a.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT) near the village of Berzgale, about 30 km from the Russian border. No injuries or property damage were reported. Authorities had earlier warned residents in parts of eastern Latvia to take shelter due to the risk.
“Thank you to our French allies for shooting down the drone that violated Latvia's airspace!” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze wrote on social media. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs praised “the quick decision and professional action.” The French military said the jet took off from Siauliai air base in northern Lithuania and destroyed the drone “over an uninhabited area.”
This is the latest in a series of air and sea incursions into NATO countries in recent times, escalating tensions. In Moldova, a fragment of a Ukrainian drone was found in a field on June 10, with accusations of Russian jamming. In late May, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that Russia's war in Ukraine “is becoming a direct threat to eastern border countries.”
The French jet that shot down the drone was part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, which has been operating since 2004 from bases in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. International media quoted experts suggesting the downed drone may have originated in Ukraine, as Kyiv steps up attacks on Russian territory and Moscow uses electronic jamming to redirect them.
