Latvia's president mentioned at the moment {that a} Russian army drone had crashed on his nation's territory and that violations of NATO territory have been rising alongside its japanese border.
The Baltic nation, which was previously underneath Soviet rule however is now a member of the European Union and NATO, has maintained strained relations with Moscow since independence, which worsened additional after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. .
“Russian army drone crashed in japanese Latvia yesterday. An investigation is underway,” President Edgars Rinkevics wrote on the X platform.
“We’re in shut contact with our allies. The variety of incidents of this nature is rising alongside NATO's japanese flank and we should cope with it collectively,” he added.
Protection Minister Andris Spruds mentioned in a press release that the drone had entered Latvian airspace from Belarus and crashed within the municipality of Rezekne.
“This case confirms that we have to proceed the work we began to strengthen Latvia's japanese border, primarily by growing air protection and digital warfare capabilities to restrict the actions of drones,” the Latvian minister mentioned.
NATO member Romania additionally mentioned at the moment {that a} Russian drone concentrating on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine entered its airspace in a single day.
Bucharest unequivocally condemned the “new violation” brought on by Moscow's “unlawful assaults”.
“As we speak, Russian drones violated the airspace of Romania and Latvia. This can be a harsh reminder that Russia's aggressive actions prolong past Ukraine,” the Ukrainian overseas minister wrote on Platform X, advocating the potential for “utilizing air protection of (NATO) companions to intercept Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine”.
Poland has additionally recorded at the least two cases of its airspace being violated by Russian missiles or drones attacking Ukraine, most lately in December.
In an interview with the Monetary Occasions revealed final week, Polish Overseas Minister Radoslaw Sikorski mentioned Warsaw ought to have the fitting to shoot down Russian missiles geared toward Ukraine earlier than they enter Polish airspace, regardless of opposition from NATO.
Supply: RES-MPE
