NATO fighter jets were scrambled to intercept and shoot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace near the border with Russia, according to Latvia's Ministry of Defense. The incident occurred in the Balvi municipality in eastern Latvia, an area approximately 200 miles from Ust-Luga, a major Russian oil port targeted by an intense Ukrainian strike. Latvia's defense ministry stated that the drone was likely Ukrainian but was redirected into Latvian airspace by Russian "electromagnetic warfare."
NATO's Baltic air policing mission fighters responded to the threat. Airspace restrictions were declared in five border municipalities in Latvia, with similar measures imposed in Finland. The intercepted drone had been part of a broader strike on the Leningrad region around St. Petersburg but was disrupted and redirected by Russian air defenses, the ministry reported.
Latvian military officials noted that as Russia's aggression in Ukraine continues, similar incidents of foreign drones entering or approaching Latvian airspace are possible. This event follows a series of drone incursions into NATO airspace along the alliance's eastern flank, an area particularly vulnerable due to Russia's war in Ukraine. Last month, Romanian fighter jets shot down three drones in three days, and military divers destroyed two other drones in the Black Sea.
The strike on the Ust-Luga port resulted in damage and a fire. Russian authorities confirmed the blaze, and the port, described as Russia's largest Baltic port and a key hub for oil exports and sanctions evasion, suffered damage. This occurred as Russia's air defenses reported downing 553 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The broader context includes other incidents across NATO states and warnings of potential Russian provocations. An explosion occurred at an Italian ammunition plant supplying Ukraine, and an oil terminal in Rotterdam experienced an explosion that killed one person and injured six. Russia also reported a large fire at a shipbuilding plant in Blagoveshchensk.
Meanwhile, fighting continued on the front lines in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed the Galaktika shopping center in Russian-held Yenakiieve. In Ukrainian-controlled Kramatorsk, an apartment building was hit, causing casualties. Separately, in the Sumy region, a Russian drone strike on a residential building killed a woman and her nine-year-old son, with four others injured. These attacks have contributed to a significant increase in civilian deaths in Ukraine.