The Latvian military said the drone entered sovereign airspace from Russian territory \u201cas a result of \u200bRussian electromagnetic warfare.\u201d At the time of writing, it is still unclear whether the drone was of Russian or Ukrainian origin.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udccdLettonie | Destruction d\u2019un drone par les Rafale \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n
\u27a1\ufe0f Survol d\u2019un drone au dessus du territoire letton \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb \u2014 Arm\u00e9e fran\u00e7aise \u2013 Op\u00e9rations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) June 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While authorities alerted the population to take shelter, Rafales<\/a> deployed to \u0160iauliai Air Base were scrambled to intercept and identify the drone. After the intercept, the NATO command ordered the engagement, said Latvian Minister of Defense Raivis \u200bMelnis, and the drone was shot down at 10:05 local time (07:05 GMT) near the village of Berzgale, about 30 km (18 miles) from the border.<\/p>\n NATO izn\u012bcin\u0101t\u0101ji \u0161or\u012bt neitraliz\u0113ja \u0101rvalstu dronu, kas krievijas elektromagn\u0113tisk\u0101s karadarb\u012bbas rezult\u0101t\u0101 bija ielidojis Latvijas teritorij\u0101 \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb\u2708\ufe0f#WeAreNATO<\/a> #StrongerTogether<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/07blbd7TUw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBS (@Latvijas_armija) June 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A video allegedly shows the moment one of the Rafales opened fire, launching an air-to-air missile<\/a> at the drone. No injuries or damage to property were reported.<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb Rogovk\u0101, R\u0113zeknes novad\u0101 notriekts lidrobots. NBS apstiprina. \u2014 BreakingLV (@breakinglv) June 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Latvia publicly thanked NATO and France for countering this threat, with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs praising \u201cdecisive and highly professional action\u201d to ensure the country\u2019s security.<\/p>\n Paldies m\u016bsu NATO sabiedrotajiem no Francijas par izl\u0113m\u012bgu un profesion\u0101lu r\u012bc\u012bbu, nodro\u0161inot Latvijas un NATO austrumu robe\u017eas dro\u0161\u012bbu.<\/p>\n Thank you, our French Allies, for the decisive and highly professional action in neutralising the drone that entered Latvian airspace.\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/DZwGdWeqp3<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Evika Sili\u0146a \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@EvikaSilina) June 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A recent similar incident<\/p>\n Less than a month ago, on May 19, 2026, Estonian Defense Forces announced that\u00a0Romanian F-16 Fighting Falcons\u00a0shot down a drone<\/a> which entered Estonian airspace. Similarly to the incident in Latvia, \u201cconditions of heavy electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming, by Russia\u201d were reported.<\/p>\n According to the statement, air surveillance units were monitoring the drone as it approached Estonian airspace. The drone was detected at 12.00PM local time, entering \u201cEstonian airspace from\u00a0Russian airspace in\u00a0the\u00a0South-Eastern\u00a0corner of Estonia,\u00a0heading towards North-East.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>File photo of two Romanian Air Force F-16s Baltic Sea. (Image Credit: NATO Allied Air Command)<\/p>\n The Romanian F-16s, currently deployed to Lithuania as part of the\u00a0NATO Baltic Air Policing<\/a>\u00a0mission, intercepted the drone \u201cSouth of P\u00f5ltsamaa town.\u201d Following visual identification, \u201cthe jets fired a single missile to neutralize the threat, downing the unmanned aerial system at 12.14PM local time.\u201d<\/p>\n After Estonia said the drone was \u201clikely of Ukrainian origin,\u201d Ukraine issued a public apology for the incident, calling it \u201cunintended\u201d and saying the drone was redirected in the Baltic region by electronic warfare. The country also confirmed, as mentioned previously by the Baltic states, that neither Estonia, nor Latvia, Lithuania, of Finland have ever allowed to use their airspace for strikes against Russia, and that Ukraine has never requested such a use.<\/p>\n Baltic Air Policing<\/p>\n The Romanian Air Force\u00a0deployed six F-16s to \u0160iauliai Air Base<\/a>, Lithuania, together with 100 personnel. The aircraft replace the Spanish Air Force detachment which was previously in the Baltic region.<\/p>\n The F-16s are deployed alongside a detachment of\u00a0four Rafales from the French Air and Space Force<\/a>, which operate from the same base as part of the service\u2019s ninth rotation there. Both detachments are integrated \u00a0within NATO\u2019s Command and Control structures to maintain Quick Reaction Alert and safeguard Allied airspace.<\/p>\n Allied airpower demonstrated NATO\u2019s readiness during eVA EASTERN SENTRY over the Baltic region, strengthening Multi-Domain Integration and Counter A2\/AD capabilities.<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddf4 Romanian F-16s operated alongside \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Rafale and Mirage 2000D aircraft, supported by NATO ISR and aerial\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Mv1CfgCIkz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Recently, NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) led counter-drone training<\/a> over Lithuania and Latvia on May 27, 2026, as part of enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) Eastern Sentry. The exercise involved Romanian and Portuguese F-16 fighters, Lithuanian surface-based air and missile defense units (SBAMD), Spanish National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NSAMS) and a Romanian Patriot system in a counter-unmanned aerial system (c-UAS) scenario focused on Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD).<\/p>\n Last week, the BAP detachment conducted multiple intercepts of Russian aircraft, counting a total of 11 scrambles<\/a>, said a French spokesperson. On June 2 alone, French fighters intercepted six different aircraft.<\/p>\n On 2 June, two French\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 @Armee_de_lair<\/a> fighters from Baltic Air Policing, scrambled from \u0160iauliai Air Base \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf9 to conduct several interceptions involving six Russian \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddfa aircraft operating within the Baltic Area of Responsibility:<\/p>\n 1 x Su-35 fighter aircraft \u2014 NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) June 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n
\u27a1\ufe0f D\u00e9collage sur alerte des chasseurs \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 engag\u00e9s dans la mission de l\u2019OTAN Baltic Air Policing depuis la base a\u00e9rienne de \u0160iauliai \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf9
\u27a1\ufe0f Identification et destruction\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/NFIMSP7Ibl<\/a><\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfa5 Aija#Rogovka<\/a> #R\u0113zekne<\/a> #Latvija<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/6dcFA9JWw7<\/a><\/p>\n![\"F-16s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/nato\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/F-16s_of_the_Romanian_Air_Force_over_the_Baltic_Sea-706x397.jpg\"\/)
![\"F-16s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/nato\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/F-16s_of_the_Romanian_Air_Force_over_the_Baltic_Sea-706x397.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1 x Il-76 military\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/j0Y1O52bXq<\/a><\/p>\n