Latvia Under Drone Alert: NATO Member on Edge

Two drones from Russia entered Latvia, causing one to crash into an oil storage facility in Rezekne. Latvian authorities issued alerts to residents near the border to stay indoors, and closed all schools in Rezekne. Similar incidents occurred in March with stray Ukrainian drones affecting Latvia and its Baltic neighbors.

Two drones originating from Russia penetrated Latvia's airspace and subsequently crashed, as confirmed by the Latvian army on Thursday morning. One drone specifically impacted an oil storage facility in Rezekne, located about 40 kilometers from the Russian border, according to national broadcaster LSM citing police sources.

Though a fire resulted from the crash, it had been extinguished before firefighting teams arrived at the scene. In response, Latvian authorities issued drone alerts for residents along the Russian border by 4:09 a.m. local time, advising them to remain indoors as a precautionary measure.

Swift actions followed, including the closure of all educational institutions in Rezekne for the day. This incident echoes similar events in late March when stray Ukrainian drones affected Latvia and its NATO allies, Estonia and Lithuania. Despite these occurrences, the foreign ministers of these Baltic nations officially stated in April that their territories and airspace have never been used for launching drone attacks against Russia.