NATO jets scramble as drone breaches Latvian airspace for 3rd day in a row
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An unidentified drone entered Latvia's airspace on May 21, prompting authorities to issue air alerts across several regions, Latvia's National Armed Forces said in a statement.
The incident marked the third consecutive day Latvia declared a drone-related air alert, amid growing concerns that Russia is jamming Ukrainian drones and redirecting them toward NATO territory.
The armed forces confirmed that at least one drone was detected in Latvian airspace. NATO fighter jets assigned to Baltic air policing missions were deployed in response.
Residents in affected areas were urged to remain indoors, seek shelter inside buildings, and follow the "two-walls rule," a civil defense measure intended to reduce exposure to blasts.
"We have strengthened air defense capabilities on the eastern border by deploying additional units," the armed forces said.
Latvia is a Baltic country that shares 283-kilometer (175-mile) borders with Russia and 173 kilometers (105 miles) with Belarus, placing it on NATO's eastern flank, close to the war in Ukraine.
Drone incursions have become an increasingly sensitive issue across the Baltic states following the crash of a Ukrainian drone into an oil facility in eastern Latvia on May 7 after it was reportedly diverted by Russian countermeasures.
The incident contributed to a political crisis that led Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina to announce her resignation on May 14.
In neighboring Estonia, a NATO fighter jet shot down a Ukrainian drone on May 18 after it entered Estonian airspace. Authorities indicated Russia may have jammed the drone's systems and redirected it toward the country.
Lithuania also declared an air alert on May 20 after a suspected drone crossed into its airspace from Belarus, marking the first such nationwide-style warning in the country.
Following that incident, Lithuania's State Security Department Director Remigijus Bridikis warned that the country's security situation was "sharpening" amid repeated drone incursions.
