Russian Drones Crash in Latvia, Cause Damage at Rezekne Oil Storage Facility
Incident Overview and Impact
By Andrius Sytas and Janis Laizans
Drone Entry and Crash Details
RIGA, May 7 (Reuters) - Two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russian territory and crashed, the Latvian army said on Thursday morning.
The drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia, Latvia's Defence Minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM.
Military jets of the multinational NATO Baltic air police mission have been summoned to the site, he added.
Damage at Rezekne Oil Storage Facility
Four empty oil tanks were damaged on Thursday morning at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40 km (25 miles) from the Russian border, and possible debris of a crashed drone was found at the site, police and firefighters said.
The firefighters extinguished a smouldering area of around 30 square meters in one of the tanks.
Emergency Response and Public Safety Measures
Latvian authorities had issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4:09 a.m. local time (0109 GMT) on Thursday, asking them to stay indoors.
All schools will be closed in Rezekne on Thursday, the municipality said.
Context: Previous Drone Incidents in the Baltics
Several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its NATO neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March. One slammed into a chimney at a local power station while another crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded.
The Ukrainian drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia.
Baltic Countries' Stance on Drone Attacks
The three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia, their foreign ministers said in April.
Reporting and Editing Credits
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius and Janis Laizans in Riga; Editing by Sonali Paul, Jacqueline Wong and Lincoln Feast.)
