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Latvia to provide 1,500 combat drones to Ukraine

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Latvia to provide 1,500 combat drones to Ukraine
The flag of Latvia (Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images)

Latvia will provide 1,500 combat drones to Ukraine, the country’s Defense Minister Andris Spruds said on April 1.

"Two Latvian companies will deliver a total of 12,000 drones worth 17 million euros to Ukraine in the first half of this year as part of the international drone coalition," he wrote on X.

The allied initiative, co-led by the U.K. and Latvia, was launched in January 2024 to strengthen Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities, a key factor in modern warfare.

By late 2024, nearly 20 countries had joined the coalition.

Latvia, one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, has committed to providing military support at the level of 0.25% of its GDP every year and will provide thousands of drones.

Ukraine is also working to scale up domestic production. In Dec. 2024, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukrainian drones accounted for over 96% of all UAVs used by the military in 2024.

Sweden unveils its largest military aid package for Ukraine worth nearly $1.6 billion
“The package includes, among other things, support for Ukraine’s air defense, artillery, satellite communications, and maritime capacity,” Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson announced.
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Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

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By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.

While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

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