The wreckage of the downed drone in the Rezekne region has not been found: search efforts have been halted 0 18

The responsible authorities have completed the search for the wreckage of the unmanned aerial vehicle that was shot down on Monday in the Rezekne region. This was reported by the National Armed Forces (NAF).

The military explained that the drone was destroyed at a relatively high altitude. For this reason, its fragments could have scattered over a significant area, which greatly complicated the search efforts.

At this time, the NAF does not have information on which country the aircraft belonged to or what type it was.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing. The State Police has initiated a criminal case, but the materials of the case are planned to be transferred to the Security Police (SP) on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Monday morning. According to the NAF, surveillance systems detected the movement of an unknown object towards Latvia, after which a warning about a possible aerial threat was issued in the border areas. Initially, a yellow alert level was introduced in the Ludza, Balvi, and Aluksne regions. Later, after receiving additional data, an orange alert level was declared in the Ludza and Rezekne regions.

The military concluded that the drone entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare. After visual confirmation of the target, French fighter jets participating in the NATO mission to patrol the airspace of the Baltic states were scrambled.

At 10:05, the drone was destroyed.

For Latvia, this case is unprecedented. For the first time, a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that crossed the state border by air was destroyed directly in the airspace of the country.

Despite the completion of the search, the investigation into the incident continues. The results will determine the further assessment of the drone's origin and the circumstances of its appearance over Latvian territory.