Unmanned aerial vehicles from russia enter Latvian airspace; two crash within national territory
On Thursday, May 7th, the National Armed Forces detected a potential aerial threat in the municipalities of Balvi and Ludza after air surveillance radars identified unmanned aerial vehicles entering Latvian airspace from russia. During the incident, two foreign drones crashed within Latvian territory, while a third crossed the country’s airspace and later exited it.
In immediate response to the detected threat, NATO Baltic Air Policing aircraft were deployed to patrol Latvia’s eastern border for several hours, operating under established operational protocols that permit the engagement of aerial targets only after visual identification has been confirmed and only when there is absolute certainty that such action would not endanger civilian lives and public safety.
Following a request from the National Armed Forces, the State Fire and Rescue Service issued cell broadcast alerts to residents in the municipalities of Ludza and Balvi, later extending similar alerts to Rēzekne municipality. During this operation, emergency services received several reports of a possible fire at an oil storage facility in Rēzekne. Upon arrival, responders discovered that four empty oil storage tanks had been damaged by an external impact. The fire was quickly extinguished by the State Fire and Rescue Service.
The incident is currently under investigation by the National Armed Forces and the State Police, and criminal proceedings have been initiated under Chapter 10 of the Criminal Law. While drone debris was identified at the oil storage facility, the search for the potential crash site of the second drone remains ongoing and will continue on Friday.
The National Armed Forces noted that the origin of the drones cannot yet be confirmed until the investigation is complete. At the same time, Latvia continues to strengthen security along its eastern border through the deployment of additional surveillance sensors.
russia is responsible for the incident, as it continues its continuous attacks on Ukraine and employs electronic warfare weapons to repel counterattacks, which can alter the flight trajectories of Ukrainian drones.
As russia’s full-scale warfare in Ukraine continues, we cannot entirely avoid such or similar incidents. However, the National Armed Forces are doing everything possible to prevent such occurrences in the future. As the Russia`s full-scale war persists, similar incidents have occurred and continue to recur in other countries bordering Ukraine.
Authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant and rely only official sources of information, as speculation and unrelated videos have been circulating widely on social media. Officials also noted that small or low-noise aerial objects, which may sound similar to vehicle engines, can be difficult for acoustic sensors to detect immediately and often require detailed analysis.
Residents are strongly advised not to approach any drones or debris and to report suspicious objects immediately by calling 112. Further guidance on how to respond during drone-related incidents is available on Sargs.lv: https://www.sargs.lv/lv/latvija/2026-03-30/sargslv-skaidro-ka-rikoties-…;