{"id":16772,"date":"2026-05-08T23:53:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T23:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/16772\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T23:53:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T23:53:16","slug":"russian-military-accuses-ukraine-of-launching-drone-attacks-from-latvian-airspace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/16772\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Military Accuses Ukraine of Launching Drone Attacks From Latvian Airspace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry accused<\/a> Ukraine on Thursday of using Latvian airspace to launch drone attacks against civilian sites in St. Petersburg, hours after Latvia reported several drones had crossed into its territory from Russia.<\/p>\n

Latvian officials said two drones crashed on its territory early Thursday. One sparked a brief fire at an oil storage facility in the eastern town of Rezekne. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spr\u016bds said<\/a> the drones were likely Ukrainian and traveling toward Russian targets.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, it is possible that such incidents will be repeated, when a foreign unmanned aircraft enters Latvian airspace or approaches it,” Latvia\u2019s military said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Later on Thursday, Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry said its air defenses detected six drones in Latvian airspace at approximately 3:20 a.m Moscow time. The military claimed to have shot down one of the aircraft, identified as a Ukrainian An-196 Liutyi long-range attack drone, after it entered Russian airspace.<\/p>\n

Five other drones disappeared from radar near Rezekne around 4:00 a.m., according to the Defense Ministry.<\/p>\n

The incident follows a similar episode<\/a> in late March, when Ukrainian drones entered Latvian and Estonian airspace, with one striking a power plant chimney in Estonia during a large-scale attack on a Russian port in the Leningrad region.<\/p>\n

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