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NATO Jets Scrambled After Unidentified Drones Enter Latvian Airspace, Strike Oil Depot

The incursion raises fresh questions about airspace security on NATO's eastern flank.

Overview

  • Unidentified drones flew roughly 40 miles into Latvia, with one crashing into an oil depot in Rēzekne and damaging four empty tanks.
  • NATO scrambled fighter jets under the Baltic Air Policing mission, which deploys allied aircraft to guard Baltic airspace.
  • Authorities sent mobile alerts urging residents in the Latgale region to stay indoors, and schools in Rēzekne and Ludza closed or moved online.
  • Defence Minister Andris Sprūds traveled to Rēzekne and said the situation was complex and the threat continued.
  • Officials are probing whether the flights were a Russian provocation or stray Ukrainian drones diverted by electronic warfare, a judgment that could shape NATO’s next steps in the region.