Latvia Identifies Russian and Ukrainian Drones in Airspace Violations

The National Armed Forces of Latvia identified two separate drones that violated its airspace on November 1 and 2, 2026, as likely originating from Russia and Ukraine. The first incident occurred on Sunday near the borders of Russia and Belarus, involving a Russian Geran-type aircraft that exited Latvian airspace after approximately 30 minutes. Military officials could not immediately determine if the aircraft was armed.

On Monday, a second drone, believed to be Ukrainian, entered Latvian airspace and crashed on Latvian soil near the Russian border. While authorities believe the object is on the ground, it has not yet been recovered. In response to these threats, the military activated NATO air-policing fighter jets and issued public warnings via X, urging residents in two eastern regions to shelter indoors and avoid suspicious low-flying objects.

These incursions follow a pattern of Ukrainian military drones straying into the airspace of NATO members, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, during attacks on Russian Baltic oil ports. The Federal Government of Russia claims Kyiv uses NATO airspace to shield its attacks, while the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine attributes the deviations to Russian signal jamming. NATO countries generally hold Russia responsible for the regional instability resulting from its invasion of Ukraine nearly five years ago.