French NATO jets stationed in the Baltic states shot down a drone in Latvia, the military and the country’s foreign minister confirmed on Monday morning.
The incident was the first time that the alliance’s rapid reaction Baltic Air Policing mission has shot down a stray drone in Latvia.
Latvia’s military confirmed that “a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare”, without disclosing the origin of the drone.
“Thank you, our French Allies, for taking down the drone that flew into Latvian airspace!” Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze posted on X.
The two jets took off from the Siauliai airbase in northern Lithuania and shot down the drone “at around 10:00” am local time (0800 GMT), Lithuanian military spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis told AFP.
In a previous incident, a Romanian jet stationed in Lithuania shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia on May 19.
Ukrainian drones have previously crashed in all three Baltic states, which are all NATO and EU members, with local officials saying they veered off course due to Russian electronic warfare measures.
A Ukrainian drone flying towards the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on May 20 prompted the country’s authorities to issue an air alert warning to the general population for the first time, with residents and leaders heading to bomb shelters.
Several Russian drones have also crashed in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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