Drone at the Border — Is the Threat the Same? What They Say in LATO 0 14

She explained that the possible approach of a drone to the territory of Latvia on Tuesday did not change the country's security situation, and residents of Latvia were warned that such incidents are possible.

According to her forecast, similar incidents are likely to continue in the future.

"Given the situation in Russia — we see that Ukrainians are quite successfully striking at Russia's energy facilities, which is important for Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor. We also see actions on the territory of Belarus," she explained.

As reported, on Monday evening, the Latvian army detected an unmanned aerial vehicle from a foreign state near the Latvian-Russian border, close to the territories of the Ludza and Balvi regions. A mobile alert system was activated to inform residents in the relevant regions.

The aircraft did not enter Latvian airspace. After it moved away from the Latvian border, a message was sent out indicating the end of the threat.

Several residents of the Balvi region confirmed to the LETA agency that they received alerts on their mobile phones about both the potential threat and its conclusion.

As observed by the LETA agency, the initial information urging residents of the Balvi and Ludza regions not to approach a low-flying, suspicious, or dangerous object, but to call 112, was also available in the mobile application "112 Latvija" and on the website "112.lv"; however, later this website was temporarily unavailable.

It is still unknown what type of aircraft it was, Defense Minister Andris Spruds stated in an interview with the TV3 program "900 Seconds." He noted that information from the previous night is still being compiled and it is evident that "there was also active, intense movement on the Estonian side." However, the specific aircraft that approached Latvian airspace has not been identified, and information about it is still being assessed.

Commenting on the launch of the mobile alert system, he acknowledged that it apparently met public expectations, as a balance is still being sought regarding in which situations such messages should be sent and in which they should not. He emphasized that initial information about a threat may not always be accurate, and it is quite possible that a drone could have been mistaken for, for example, a flock of birds or another harmless object.

It was also reported that last week drones flew into and exploded in all three Baltic countries. Most likely, they were directed at targets in Russia as part of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, but they went off course or were diverted by electronic warfare systems.

A drone entered Latvian airspace from Russia on Wednesday night and exploded in the Kraslava region about a kilometer from the center of the Svariņi parish, while another briefly entered from Belarus and headed towards Russia.

After this, a public discussion unfolded about the need for timely informing residents in such cases using the mobile alert system. The State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported that the relevant text of the threat message in airspace has already been prepared.