Latvian Defense Minister Resigns After Ukrainian Drones Strike Latvian Oil Depot

Andris Sprūds resigned as Latvia's defense minister on May 11 after two Ukrainian drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia and struck an oil storage facility in Rēzekne, eastern Latvia. Prime Minister Evika Siliņa demanded the resignation, citing failures in drone detection and delayed public alerts. Military systems failed to identify the incoming drones, and mobile warnings reached residents roughly an hour after one crashed into the depot, damaging four empty fuel tanks approximately 40 kilometers from the Russian border. Schools in Rēzekne were closed, and French NATO jets were scrambled in response.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed the drones were Ukrainian but stated Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverted them from their intended targets in Russia into Latvian territory. Ukraine offered to send experts to help bolster Baltic air security. Colonel Raivis Melnis, the defense ministry's representative in Ukraine, was appointed as Sprūds' replacement.

Latvia and Lithuania jointly called on NATO to strengthen anti-drone defenses along the alliance's eastern flank, with Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas appealing for additional capabilities. The incident exposed significant gaps in Baltic air defense readiness and raised broader questions about NATO's ability to protect its eastern members from the spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.