Warnings of a potential airspace threat were issued in several municipalities across Zemgale and Vidzeme overnight. By Wednesday morning, it emerged that several drones had approached or entered Latvian airspace, with one crossing five municipalities while being escorted by fighter jets.
The National Armed Forces (NBS) first issued a yellow-level warning, the lowest alert level, in Aizkraukle Municipality at approximately 2:20 a.m. The warning was raised to orange level a few minutes later.
At the same time, yellow-level warnings were also issued in Madona and Jēkabpils municipalities. Shortly before 3 a.m., the warning in Madona Municipality was upgraded to orange.
When the orange-level warning was issued in Madona Municipality, the NBS announced that the threat had ended in Aizkraukle and Jēkabpils municipalities.
Just a few minutes later, the threat was also declared over in Madona Municipality. However, an orange-level warning was issued in Cēsis Municipality, while yellow-level warnings were announced in Smiltene and Gulbene municipalities.
The warnings in Smiltene and Gulbene were almost immediately raised to the highest level, orange.
Within minutes, the NBS announced that the threat in Cēsis Municipality had ended.
At approximately 3:30 a.m., the threat was also declared over in Smiltene and Gulbene municipalities, and no further warnings were issued.
The NBS did not provide detailed explanations in its announcements about what was happening in Latvian airspace.
Earlier in the night, the armed forces had issued warnings about potential airspace threats in Ludza, Augšdaugava, Krāslava and Ludza municipalities.
These warnings lasted approximately one to one and a half hours. After they were lifted, the NBS did not clarify the circumstances behind the decisions, including whether the suspected aircraft had left Latvian airspace, had never entered it, had crashed or had been shot down.
The NBS reported that interceptor drone units and air defence units had been activated, along with fighter jets participating in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
The first detailed information about the overnight incidents emerged at approximately 7 a.m., when NBS Navy Captain Seldzis Grasmanis spoke to Latvian Radio.
He explained that the airspace threat warning in Ludza Municipality had been issued because two targets had entered Latvian territory.
Later, warnings were issued in Krāslava and Augšdaugava municipalities in connection with a target approaching from Belarus. However, the object did not reach Latvian territory.
In Balvi Municipality, a warning was issued because three targets were approaching. They subsequently turned north while still over Russian territory, without crossing the Latvian border.
Meanwhile, the warning in Aizkraukle Municipality was triggered by a drone approaching from Lithuania.
Escorted by fighter jets, the drone crossed Jēkabpils, Madona, Cēsis, Gulbene and Smiltene municipalities before leaving Latvian territory near Ape and entering Estonia, the NBS representative revealed.