Latvia issued an air threat alert and urged residents to take shelter after a Russian drone violated its airspace, according to a military spokesperson.
The incident comes amid a wave of drone incursions across Europe, further raising concerns that Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine may be spilling toward NATO borders.
The drone sighting on Monday triggered an air threat warning in eastern Latvia, near the borders with Russia and Belarus.
Local residents were instructed to stay indoors, while NATO fighter jets were scrambled and reportedly shot down the drone.
Last month, NATO aircraft were also deployed after Latvia reported another drone intrusion into its airspace.
That incident came only days after a similar violation was reported in Lithuania.
In parallel, Ukraine has increased long-range drone operations against Russia in recent months, including missions near the Baltic Sea region.
Several Ukrainian military drones have reportedly entered the airspace of NATO member states, including Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Kyiv has since apologized for these incidents, blaming Russian electronic warfare systems for jamming navigation signals and causing drones to stray off course.
Separately, last week a Ukrainian naval drone operating in the Black Sea was reportedly jammed by Russian forces before losing control and detonating near a major Romanian port.
The explosion shook the Port of Constanța, triggering a high-level alert and an emergency search operation for additional potential hazards.
Footage from the scene showed a large plume of smoke rising over the water following the blast.
The naval drone was believed to be operating as part of a maritime mission in the coastal waters near Constanța.
Authorities quickly evacuated the port, while nearby coastal residents were warned to take shelter in case of further explosions.
The Ukrainian Navy stated that the drone had been affected by Russian electronic warfare, which caused it to lose control and drift off course toward Romania.
Kyiv also informed Romanian authorities that the drone was part of a group of five, according to Constanța county prefect Adrian Teodor Picoiu.
He was quoted by local media outlet G4 Media as saying that one drone had also exploded in Ukraine, while search efforts for the remaining three continued.
