Air alert in Latvia: Fighter jets shoot down drone

Latvian airspace was briefly under alert after a drone penetrated the country's borders, prompting NATO fighter jets to intercept and shoot it down. The Latvian military announced the air alert was lifted following the incident, which occurred over the Balvi region.

Authorities had initially urged residents to stay indoors and seek safety. While the exact origin of the drone remains unconfirmed, the military indicated it was a foreign aircraft that may have entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare tactics. This suggests the possibility that the downed drone was Ukrainian.

Latvia, a member of both the EU and NATO, shares a border with Russia. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has seen both Russia and Ukraine extensively utilize drones for various military purposes. The specific NATO member state whose jets were involved in the drone's destruction has not yet been disclosed.

Larger NATO countries take turns monitoring the airspace of the Baltic states, which include Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. This incident underscores the heightened security concerns in the region amidst the conflict in neighboring Ukraine.

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The air alert has thus been lifted.