NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, the country’s defence ministry confirmed on Friday.

The interception took place amid growing concern across Europe over unauthorised drone activity linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The ministry said the jets successfully destroyed a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that entered Latvia as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare. The Latvian armed forces later confirmed that the threat had ended after the drone was brought down.

Latvia, an EU and NATO member with a population of about 1.9 million, shares a border with Russia. The country and other states along NATO’s eastern flank have experienced several drone incursions in recent times.

Neighbouring Finland also imposed temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Friday as a precautionary measure. Hours later, the governor of Russia’s Leningrad region reported that air defences had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones, with a fire breaking out at a Baltic Sea port.

Earlier in the week, French fighter jets assigned to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission downed another drone over Latvia. Similar incidents have also been reported in Germany, where drones disrupted airport operations.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper