A French fighter jet under NATO command was scrambled in Latvia and shot down a Russian drone that had breached the country’s airspace, according to military sources.
Latvia issued an air threat alert and urged residents in eastern regions bordering Russia and Belarus to seek shelter after the unmanned aerial vehicle was detected crossing into its airspace.
A military spokesperson said the drone was intercepted and destroyed by a French aircraft operating from Lithuania as part of NATO’s Baltic air policing mission.
The incident triggered heightened security measures across the region, with authorities warning locals to stay indoors while the airspace threat was being neutralised.
The drone intrusion is part of a growing pattern of suspected Russian UAV incursions across Eastern Europe, raising concerns that the Ukraine conflict is spilling further into NATO territory.
Officials in the Baltic states have reported multiple similar incidents in recent weeks, prompting repeated fighter jet scrambles and emergency alerts.
NATO has increased surveillance and air policing operations in response, while investigations into the origin and purpose of the drone continue.
