The Armed Forces of Latvia activated anti-aircraft alarms this Thursday and ordered the population to take shelter after detecting the incursion of a drone in the south of the country, in an area bordering Lithuania and Belarus. The emergency situation lasted about four hours, during which NATO air surveillance was intensified.
"Possible threat in Latvian airspace. We inform you that there is a possible threat in Latvian airspace in the municipalities of Ludza, Kraslava and Rezekne," the Latvian Army stated in a social media message early in the day, with which it announced the start of the operation.
Shortly after, military authorities confirmed the presence of a drone in the area. "We confirm that there is at least one unmanned aircraft in Latvian airspace," they indicated, without providing specific data at the moment on the exact location where the incident occurred or on the origin of the device.
At 1:45 PM, approximately four hours after the alert was activated, the Latvian Army declared the emergency over and deactivated the warning. "We inform you that the possible threat in Latvian airspace has ended," it communicated in another brief message, with which it closed the exceptional situation experienced in the Baltic country.
In parallel, Latvian military authorities reported that they had informed NATO of what had happened, emphasizing that, together with its allied partners, Latvia maintains constant airspace surveillance in order to be able to respond immediately to "a potential threat." "We have reinforced anti-aircraft defense capabilities on the eastern border, sending additional units," they stressed.
The Army also conveyed direct instructions to the public, urging them to "seek shelter indoors and close windows and doors," as well as requesting the cooperation of residents in reporting any sightings of drones or other suspicious devices in the affected area.
The Latvian Armed Forces linked this episode to the regional context derived from the war in Ukraine. "As long as Russia's aggression in Ukraine continues, it is possible that cases will be repeated where a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle enters or approaches Latvian airspace," they assured, attributing the tension the country is experiencing to the Russian invasion.
This event is added to the one registered in Lithuania at the beginning of this same week, when another aerial incident activated the sirens in Vilnius and in other areas of the country. The alert forced several Lithuanian leaders, including the president, Gitanas Nauseda, to be moved to bunkers until the situation normalized and the authorities lifted the warning hours later.