Latvia’s military assessed two aircraft detected in its airspace on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 as likely Russian and likely Ukrainian, respectively, amid concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling into NATO territory.
A military spokesperson said the Nov. 1 drone was probably a Russian Geran-type aircraft. Officials could not immediately determine whether it was armed. The drone later crossed back into Russia.
The military assessed the Nov. 2 aircraft as probably Ukrainian and said it crashed on Latvian soil but had not been found. Latvia’s armed forces said NATO activated air-policing fighter jets during the alert.
Latvian authorities issued warnings near the borders with Belarus and Russia on both days and urged people in the area to seek shelter. The latest assessments follow an earlier Latvian airspace alert covered by EconoTimes.
Reuters reported that predominantly Ukrainian military drones had gone off course into airspace over Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It also said drones missing their intended targets during Ukrainian attacks on oil ports along Russia’s Baltic coast prompted warnings in neighboring countries. Russia has accused Ukraine of using NATO airspace to shield attacks, while Ukraine has blamed Russian signal jamming for sending some drones off course, Reuters reported.
