NATO warplanes were scrambled over Latvia after an unidentified drone entered the country’s airspace and travelled around 40 miles inland, triggering emergency alerts, school closures and an urgent investigation into its origin.
One drone is understood to have crashed near an oil depot in the eastern city of Rēzekne, though no fire was reported. Latvian authorities are investigating whether the incident was a hostile act linked to Russia or a Ukrainian unmanned aircraft that strayed off course amid electronic warfare activity.
Airspace warnings were issued in the early hours to residents in the Ludza and Balvi districts of the Latgale region, with mobile phone alerts urging people to remain indoors. Schools in Rēzekne, Ludza, and surrounding areas were closed, while others moved to remote learning as a precautionary measure.
Defence Minister Andris Sprūds confirmed he was travelling to Rēzekne as the situation developed, describing it as “”The situation there is genuinely complex and the threat continues,” he warned the threat level remains active.
He said NATO aircraft had been deployed under the Baltic Air Policing mission, adding that Russia’s war in Ukraine continued to have wider regional consequences and reinforcing the case for strengthening air policing capabilities in the region.
The incident comes amid growing concern among Baltic states over repeated drone incursions and airspace violations linked to the conflict in Ukraine, which has increasingly spilled beyond its borders.
In recent weeks, stray drones have been reported crossing into NATO territory, prompting fears of miscalculation or escalation through electronic warfare disruption or navigational interference.
Moscow has previously accused Baltic states of enabling Ukrainian drone operations targeting Russian infrastructure near St Petersburg — claims firmly denied by Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland.
Authorities in Riga say the immediate priority is determining whether Saturday’s incident was accidental or deliberate, as NATO continues to monitor airspace along its eastern flank.
The episode underlines the increasing strain placed on regional air defences as the war in Ukraine continues to generate spillover risks for neighbouring NATO members.
Russian-language war channel Volya said: “Since mid-March, we have begun receiving confirmations from sources in the Russian Ministry of Defence and other structures that Vladimir Putin’s plans to invade the Baltic states have moved to the next stage.”