Latvia also closes airspace at night near its border
Minister of Defense of Latvia Andris Sprūds (photo: Ministry of Defense of Latvia)
Latvia has deployed acoustic systems and mobile air defense units on the border. This happened after a drone, probably made in Ukraine, flew into the country. This was reported by the Minister of Defense Andris Spruds.
The Minister of Defense also announced the closure of airspace near the border at night.
“This drone incident is serious. Like other Baltic neighbors, it tests our defense capabilities and the resilience of our society. … But we cannot rule out the recurrence of such incidents,” the minister said .
He emphasized that the incident is the result of Russian aggression, and Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
“Instead, it is our duty to take care of the security of Latvian society, to continue to support Ukraine and to defend Latvia,” Spruce emphasized .
Initial investigations at the site of the drone crash have been completed. The police recorded and seized the drone fragments.
On the night of March 25, the Latvian Air Force identified a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle entering Latvian airspace from the territory of Russia. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note of protest to the Russian Charge d’Affaires in Riga.
Evaluation of the found wreckage showed that the drone that entered Latvia from Russia was probably Ukrainian-made.
It is known that Russia uses electronic warfare to repel counterattacks, which may affect the flight path of Ukrainian drones.
Drone incidents in Estonia and Lithuania over the past week.
LIGA.net reported that an unknown drone flew into Lithuania and crashed on March 23. The military reported that the object was not detected by radar – the services learned about the incident on Monday afternoon.
In Estonia, on March 25, a drone flew into the country’s airspace from Russia and crashed into a pipe at the Auvera power plant.
After several years of development, Ukraine had all the technology to create its own medium-range air defense system capable of competing with the Patriot system. Cooperation of Ukrainian companies with European partners opens up a chance to get closer to creating an effective missile defense system and counter Russian ballistics. Read more in the article LIGA.net
In an interview with The Economist, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Robert (Magyar) Brovdi , said that neutralizing one Russian occupier with a drone costs less than $1000.