Latvia destroyed drone after entering its airspace from Russia: Report

LONDON

Latvia’s military on Wednesday said an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) entered its airspace overnight from Russia and detonated in the eastern border region.

According to a report by public broadcaster LSM, the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) said early warning systems detected an object approaching the border. The drone was later tracked to the Kraslava region, where a sound resembling an explosion was recorded.

Egils Lescinskis, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff, told Latvian Television’s Morning Panorama: “At 2:19 a.m., our radars detected indications of what could be an unidentified aerial object approaching Latvian territory and crossing the state border. We also observed this on our acoustic sensors, and our air defense group was dispatched.”

He added that the object detonated near the village of Dobrocina in Kraslava Municipality, which is a critical EU external border region that shares borders with Belarus and Russia.

Emergency responders, including the military, police, and border guards, were deployed to the scene. Officials confirmed that remnants of the drone have been recovered and are being analyzed to determine its origin.

Lescinskis said the manufacturer and country of origin have not yet been identified.

He also revealed a second incident earlier in the night, when sensors detected another object entering from Belarus before turning and exiting towards Russia.

Asked whether the incidents could be coordinated, he said this was unlikely. “The aircraft most likely veered off course or was affected by electromagnetic warfare measures protecting some technically important objects.”

No injuries or damage to civilian infrastructure have been reported. Authorities say there is currently no further threat to Latvian airspace, but an investigation is ongoing.