NATO Airspace Breached: Latvia Confirms First Crash of a Russian Drone on Its Territory.

On September 7th, a suspected Russian drone crashed in the eastern part of Latvia, marking the first confirmed incident of its kind on Latvian soil, according to a statement released by the Latvian Ministry of Defense on September 8th. This event is part of a recent series of airspace violations involving NATO member countries, particularly during massive aerial attacks against Ukraine.
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Iranian-made drones acquired by Russia have caused significant damage to Ukrainian infrastructure. (Picture source: Роман Мартинюк )

Two Nato members have said Russian drones violated their airspace, as one reportedly flew into Romania during night-time attacks on neighbouring Ukraine while another crashed in eastern Latvia the previous day. A drone entered Romanian territory early on Sunday as Moscow struck “civilian targets and port infrastructure” across the Danube in Ukraine, Romania’s defence ministry said. Bucharest had deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace and issued text alerts to residents of two eastern regions, it added. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Latvia’s defence minister, Andris Sprūds, later said a Russian drone fell the day before near the town of Rezekne and had likely strayed into Latvia from neighbouring Belarus 

The Latvian Ministry reported that the drone was detected while flying over from Belarus, Russia's main ally in the region. The national broadcaster LSM has reported that the Latvian armed forces tracked the drone's flight path until its crash site. An ongoing investigation aims to ascertain the exact circumstances of the incident.

This incident comes in a context where several Shahed-type drones, employed by Russia, have been reported to deviate towards Belarus during attacks aimed at Ukraine. Some of these drones have even been shot down by Belarusian forces.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds responded to the incident by highlighting the need to further strengthen Latvia's eastern border. "This incident confirms that we must continue to strengthen Latvia's eastern border," he stated.

Latvia and Romania, both NATO members, have specified that there was no indication that the drones intentionally penetrated their airspace. However, NATO has repeatedly condemned these aerial incursions by Russia.

Aerial incidents involving Russian drones are not isolated to Latvia. Drones have also crashed in Romania and non-NATO member Moldova, and Polish airspace has been violated multiple times. In 2022, a Ukrainian air defense missile, launched to intercept a Russian attack, accidentally killed two Polish citizens.

While condemning Russia's actions, NATO has resisted calls to shoot down Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine, fearing it could be perceived as a direct involvement in the conflict. This recent incident in Latvia raises questions about the security of NATO's borders and the management of aerial threats in a context of increased tension with Russia, while also emphasizing the need for international law in favor of the sovereignty of the alliance's airspace.