Drone Fallout: Latvia’s Defense Minister Resigns After Ukrainian UAV Incident

Andris Spruds has resigned after Ukrainian drones struck an oil storage facility in the Latvian city of Rezekne. Prime Minister Evika Silinė said the country’s anti-drone systems were not activated quickly enough to prevent the incident.

This is reported by Reuters.

According to journalists, two Ukrainian drones flew from Russian territory and exploded on the territory of an oil storage facility in Latvia on May 7. After that, Latvia and Lithuania appealed to NATO to strengthen air defense in the region.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has demanded the resignation of the Minister of Defense. Latvian Army Colonel Raivis Melnis has been appointed as the new head of the defense ministry.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated that the drones were Ukrainian and entered Latvian territory due to the actions of Russian electronic warfare equipment.

“Russian electronic warfare intentionally diverted Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia,” said Andriy Sybiga.

He also reported that Ukraine is considering sending specialists to help strengthen air security in the Baltic countries after the drone incident.

Recall that in Latvia, drone airspace violations were recorded, which, according to preliminary data, flew in from Russia. One of the drones fell on the territory of oil infrastructure in the city of Rezekne and hit a tank.

Subsequently, Russian propaganda resources spread false information about an alleged attack by a “Ukrainian drone” on a passenger train in Latvia.

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