RIGA, Nov 3 (Reuters) – Latvia’s military said on Tuesday it believed that one of two drones that violated the country’s airspace in recent days was of Russian origin, while the other was of Ukrainian origin.
The armed forces warned on Sunday and again on Monday of threats in Latvia’s airspace near the borders of Belarus and Russia, asking people in the area to seek shelter, and in the latter case said NATO had activated air policing fighter jets.
Military drones, mostly of Ukrainian origin, have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, creating concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO countries that border Russia and its ally Belarus.
Sunday’s drone was believed to be a Russian Geran-type model, although it was not immediately clear if it was armed or not, a military spokesperson said, adding that the drone eventually flew back across the Russian border.
Monday’s drone was likely Ukrainian and crashed on Latvian soil, but has yet to be found, the military said.
As Ukraine attacks Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports, some of its drones have missed their targets and led to security warnings in neighbouring countries. In the case of Latvia, it led to a government collapse earlier this year.
Moscow has accused Kyiv of using NATO airspace as cover for attacks, while Kyiv says some of its drones have been steered off course by Russian signal jamming. The NATO countries generally blame Russia for the incidents, saying it ignited the war by invading its neighbour nearly five years ago.
(Reporting by Janis Laizans, editing by Terje Solsvik)
