RIGA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian armed forces said at least one foreign drone entered the country's airspace on Thursday, the latest in a series of drone incursions reported across the Baltic States in recent months.
Authorities issued air alerts in several eastern Latvian regions, while NATO fighter jets participating in the Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled in response. The alert was lifted later in the day.
The incident came days after Estonia said a NATO fighter jet had shot down a drone over its territory, while Lithuania reported that a military drone carrying explosives had crashed after entering its airspace. On May 7, two drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Latvia's Rezekne.
Baltic authorities believe many of the drones are Ukrainian aircraft intended for strikes on Russian targets that veered off course into neighboring countries' airspace.
Baltic authorities believe many of the drones are Ukrainian aircraft intended for strikes on Russian targets, but veered off course into the airspace of neighboring countries.
So far, no casualties have been reported in the incidents. However, the crash of two drones in Rezekne triggered political fallout, leading to the dismissal of the country's defense minister and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Evika Silina's government. ■