Two drones crashed in NATO nation Latvia early on Thursday as neighboring Lithuania said fighter jets based there were patrolling Latvian airspace.
The drones fell on Latvian soil after crossing into the Baltic nation’s airspace from Russia, Riga’s military said in a statement.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas, told Lithuania’s LRT broadcaster fighter jets took off from Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania, to “patrol the Latvian sky” before returning to their original base at around 6 a.m. local time.
The drones were likely launched by Ukraine toward targets in Russia, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds said in comments reported by national broadcaster LSM.
Drones have repeatedly breached NATO airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, but have not so far been treated as attacks on the alliance.
During long-range strikes, drones can veer off course because of signal jamming that affects their navigation systems.
Although drones from Russia are much more likely to enter NATO airspace, a Ukrainian drone homing in on oil infrastructure in western Russia strayed into Latvia in late March, while more drones packed with explosives landed in neighboring Estonia and Lithuania.
NATO members are obliged to see assaults on any member state as an attack on all. This is meant to deter any adversary nations from attacking a part of NATO because it would have to face a response from all 32 alliance members.
Most incursions affect Poland and Romania, which border Ukraine. Airspace violations are rarer for the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which are pressed up against Russia.
Latvian authorities had reported possible threats entering the country early on Thursday near the northeastern town of Balvi and around Ludza in southern Latvia. Both towns sit close to the Russian border.
Four empty oil storage tanks were damaged in the city of Rēzekne, just west of Ludza, around 25 miles from Russian territory, emergency services said. Part of the lining of one of the tanks caught fire but the blaze was quickly extinguished, according to Latvia’s state fire and rescue service.
Latvian police said possible drone debris was found at the site after smoke was seen rising from the area. A criminal investigation has been launched.
Officials said the crash site of the second drone has not yet been found.
Latvia’s military and Estonia’s interior ministry separately issued warnings for a “possible threat” to their airspace on Sunday, although no drone incursions were later confirmed.
Ukraine said it had struck Russia’s Baltic Sea port in Primorsk, which is a major oil exporting site close to the Finnish border and northeast of Estonia. The local Russian governor said air defenses had intercepted more than 60 drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said unspecified oil terminal infrastructure was hit along with an oil tanker, a patrol boat and a Russian warship capable of launching long-range cruise missiles.
“As long as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues, recurrences of such incidents—where a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle enters or approaches Latvia’s airspace—are possible,” the Latvian military said on Sunday.
Correction and update 5/7/2026, 6:49 a.m. ET: The headline of this article was corrected to state that the fighter jets were not scrambled by Latvia and the article was updated with additional information.
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