Latvia and Lithuania issue drone alerts, scramble NATO fighter jets
Drone Incursions and NATO Response in the Baltics
By Janis Laizans and Andrius Sytas
Recent Drone Incidents in Latvia and Lithuania
RIGA/VILNIUS, May 21 (Reuters) - Lithuania and Latvia each detected drones in their airspace on Thursday and urged some inhabitants to seek shelter while NATO fighter jets scrambled to intercept the devices, the latest in a series of such security incidents in the Baltics.
Military Response and Civilian Alerts
In Lithuania, military jets were searching for two drones, the country's military said, while air raid sirens were blaring in a county bordering Russian ally Belarus to alert civilians to the danger.
Earlier, in a separate incident, the Latvian armed forces reported a drone had entered the country's airspace. They later said the threat had ended, without providing further detail.
Context of Increased Drone Activity
Ukraine has in recent months stepped up its long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea area, where several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of NATO members Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
International Reactions and Accusations
Kyiv has apologised for incursions and blamed Russian jamming of guidance signals for misdirecting its drones across borders. Moscow says Ukraine is using NATO airspace to provide cover for its attacks on Russia, which Kyiv, NATO and the Baltic states strongly deny.
"As long as Russia's aggression in Ukraine continues, there is a possibility of repeated incidents where foreign unmanned aerial vehicles enter or approach Latvian airspace," the Latvian armed forces wrote on social media platform X.
Confirmed Cross-Border Drone Entry
One drone was confirmed to have crossed into Latvia from Belarus, a military spokesperson told broadcaster Latvian Television.
The Latvian government resigned last week over its handling of the incursions, and talks are ongoing on appointing a new cabinet.
Baltics Blame Moscow
Recent NATO and Regional Actions
On Tuesday a NATO fighter jet shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over neighbouring Estonia, while a similar airspace violation in Lithuania on Wednesday halted air traffic to its capital and forced its lawmakers to take shelter underground.
"They (Ukraine) certainly don't want their drones to end up on friendly territory for obvious reasons," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday.
"Sometimes it's a matter of jamming. Sometimes it's a matter of other disturbances," he told a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
NATO's Commitment and Baltic Accusations
Rutte on Thursday reiterated the alliance's commitment to the security of all NATO countries. "We will continue to ensure that we have all we need to defend every inch of Allied territory," he wrote on X.
The Baltic states, all strong backers of Ukraine, have blamed the incidents on Moscow, saying it redirects Ukrainian drones from their intended targets in Russia, without providing evidence. The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was monitoring the situation.
European and Polish Responses
Poland's defence minister on Thursday said Ukraine must be very precise when using drones to avoid giving Russia the opportunity to interfere with their flight path.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said that Russian threats to the Baltic countries were "unacceptable" and would be seen as threats to the whole European Union.
(Reporting by Janis Laizans in Riga, Andrius Sytas in Vilnius and Stine Jacobsen in Revinge, writing by Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche, Editing by Anna Ringstrom, Sharon Singleton and Peter Graff)
