An Italian fighter jet taking part in Nato’s air-defence mission in the Baltic states has shot down a drone that entered the airspace of eastern Latvia. According to initial reports, the unmanned aircraft was likely of Ukrainian origin and had strayed off its intended course.
Confirmation came from Latvian authorities, who said the intervention followed an airspace violation that Riga has also linked to Russian electronic warfare activity.
The drone was struck over the region of Balvi, in northeastern Latvia, while flying at high altitude. Military personnel identified the area where the wreckage fell, though the exact location has not been disclosed. Debris may be scattered across a fairly wide area.
Latvia’s foreign minister publicly thanked the Italian allies for their contribution to protecting Nato airspace.
In the hours before the incident, an air raid alert had been issued across five regions of the country, later lifted following the shoot-down. The drone’s trajectory would be consistent with Ukrainian operations directed toward the Saint Petersburg area, although investigations into the aircraft’s origin are still ongoing.
