NATO Confirms French Jets Downed Drone in Latvian Airspace

NATO confirmed on Monday that two French Rafale fighter jets intercepted and neutralized a drone that had entered Latvian airspace. The jets, part of the Alliance's Baltic air policing mission, were scrambled from Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania after detecting the unauthorized entry.

Allied sources stated that the operation "demonstrates once again NATO's determination and capability to deter and defend." The intercepted drone's origin was not immediately disclosed by NATO. The incident occurred within the framework of the 'Eastern Sentinel' initiative, a recent NATO effort to enhance surveillance along its eastern flank, launched after a significant number of Russian drones and aircraft violated allied airspace in September.

Latvian Armed Forces had earlier reported that allied fighter jets downed a foreign drone over Letgalia in eastern Latvia. The situation comes amid heightened concerns over Russian electromagnetic warfare. Latvia has not revealed whether the drone was Ukrainian and diverted by Russia, nor has Kyiv commented. This marks the first instance of an unmanned aerial vehicle being shot down since foreign drones began appearing in Latvian airspace.

Previously, in May, the Latvian government faced a crisis and the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa after two diverted Ukrainian drones impacted energy infrastructure. The current incident underscores ongoing security tensions in the region and the readiness of NATO forces to respond to airspace violations.

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This demonstrates once again NATO's determination and capability to deter and defend.