A drone entered Latvian airspace and was shot down by Italian Eurofighter jets, the military said on Friday.
The decision to shoot it down was taken to avert a threat to Latvia’s population, Defence Minister Raivis Melnis said.
An air alert was lifted after the drone was intercepted, Latvia’s military said on X, after authorities had urged people across the Baltic state to avoid going outside and seek shelter.
A spokeswoman for Latvia’s military said the drone was shot down over a forested area. There were no injuries or damage to property. Emergency services are operating at the crash site, she said on Latvian television.
The military did not initially identify the drone’s origin, but said a foreign drone had entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russia’s electronic warfare activity over the Balvi region, suggesting it could have been a Ukrainian drone diverted off course by Russian electronic interference.
Melnis said it is currently not possible to determine the origin and type of the drone that was shot down. Drone debris would first have to be found and examined, he said
NATO responded to the airspace incursion with Italian Eurofighter jets based in Lithuania and Turkish F-16 jets based in Estonia, NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said on X.
Kiev had attacked targets in north-western Russia overnight, according to Latvian media. NATO fighter jets had already shot down a stray drone over Latvia in early June.
Several Ukrainian drones targeting north-western Russia have previously strayed into Latvian airspace and crashed, without causing major damage or injuries. The incidents triggered a political crisis in Latvia and led to a change of government.
Shortly after taking office in late May, the new government signed an agreement with Ukraine to strengthen cooperation on drone defence.
NATO members take turns policing the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which do not have their own fighter jets. The Italian aircraft are stationed at the Šiauliai military air base in Lithuania.
Latvia, a NATO and European Union member with a population of about 1.9 million, borders Russia to the east.
On Thursday, Romanian and Spanish jets intervened after drones entered Romanian airspace near the border with Ukraine, Hart said.
“Day after day, NATO is ready and able to react to any potential threats, 24/7, to safeguard our territory & protect our people,” she wrote.