French Rafale shoots down drone that entered Latvia from Russia

A French Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone that entered NATO member Latvia's airspace from Russia today, the latest in a series of such security incidents along Europe's eastern border areas.

The Latvian military, without specifying who launched the drone, said it entered from Russia "as a result of Russian electronic warfare."

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, in a post on the X network, praised the “quick decision-making and professional handling” of the incident.

A French military spokesman confirmed that French warplanes had shot down an unidentified drone, and a NATO official said: “This once again demonstrates NATO’s determination and ability to deter and defend.”

The final decision to shoot down the drone was made by NATO command, Latvian Defense Minister Raivis Melnis told reporters.

Latvia said Russia had been identified as the party using electronic warfare before the drone entered the country and was shot down at 7:05 GMT, near the village of Berzgale, about 30 kilometers from the border.

No one was injured and there was no material damage, Melnis said.

Authorities had previously warned residents of eastern Latvian regions to stay indoors due to the threat.

Military drones straying into the airspace of Russia's neighbors have fueled concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine is spilling over NATO's borders.

Fragments of a Ukrainian drone were found in a field in Moldova on Monday after it entered from Ukraine - an incident that Chisinau blamed on Russia over its war against Ukraine.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Cahkna said that the incidents in Latvia and Moldova "confirm that Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine poses a threat beyond Ukraine's borders."

A military official told Reuters in May that Latvia was strengthening its defenses against drones.

Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea region, where several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Ukraine blamed Russia for these incidents, alleging that it was influencing the drones' trajectories through electronic warfare.

The French military plane that shot down the drone today is part of NATO's Baltic air policing mission, which has been patrolling the skies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since those countries joined NATO in 2004.

Romanian F-16 fighter jets and Portuguese F-16s are currently participating in the mission. Last month, a Romanian military plane, as part of an air policing mission over the Baltics, shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia.