Riga:
Latvia’s president on Sunday mentioned a Russian navy drone had crashed on its territory, including that airspace breaches had elevated alongside NATO’s jap borders.
The Baltic state, which was as soon as dominated by the Soviet Union however is now an EU and NATO member, has had tense relations with Moscow following independence, and ties have additional deteriorated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
A “Russian navy drone… crashed within the jap a part of Latvia yesterday. There may be an ongoing investigation,” Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics mentioned on X.
“We’re in shut contact with our allies. The variety of such incidents is rising alongside the jap flank of NATO and we should handle them collectively,” he added.
Latvia’s defence ministry mentioned in an announcement that the drone had flown into the nation’s airspace from Belarus and crashed within the municipality of Rezekne.
“This case is a affirmation that we have to proceed the work we have now began to strengthen Latvia’s jap border, together with the event of air defence capabilities and digital warfare capabilities to restrict the actions of UAVs of various functions,” mentioned Defence Minister Andris Spruds.
Fellow NATO member Romania additionally on Sunday mentioned a Russian assault drone concentrating on civilian infrastructure in neighbouring Ukraine in a single day had entered its airspace.
Bucharest strongly condemned the “renewed violation” introduced on by Moscow’s “unlawful assaults”.
Since launching its invasion, Russia has repeatedly carried out night time assaults on cities throughout Ukraine, regularly concentrating on ports within the southern Odesa area after exiting a grain export deal.
Poland has additionally recorded at the very least two circumstances of its airspace being violated by Russian missiles or drones attacking Ukraine, most just lately in December.
Warsaw late final month declared {that a} flying object had intruded into its airspace however later backtracked on the declare.
In an interview with the Monetary Occasions printed final week, Polish International Minister Radoslaw Sikorski mentioned Warsaw ought to have the precise to shoot down Russian missiles concentrating on Ukraine earlier than they enter Polish airspace, regardless of NATO opposition.
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