RIGA, Latvia: A French military Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone on Monday (Jun 8) that entered NATO country Latvia’s airspace from Russia, the latest in a series of such security incidents along Europe’s eastern border regions.
The Latvian army, without saying who had launched the drone, said it had entered from Russia “as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare”.
“Allied fighter jets successfully shoot down a drone flying into Latvian airspace!” it said in a post on social media X.
Authorities had earlier on Monday warned people in eastern Latvian regions to seek shelter indoors because of the threat. The alert ended when the drone was shot down, the army said, but another air threat warning was issued later on Monday for eastern residents.
Military drones straying into the airspace of Russia’s neighbours have been stoking concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO’s northern borders.
Ukraine has in recent months stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea area, where several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.