Latvia Prime Minister Quits Over Drones Breach
Latvia’s prime minister has resigned after Ukrainian drones veered into the Baltic state and NATO member earlier this month, becoming the second high-profile politician to resign over the incident that sparked a fire in the country’s east.
Evika Silina said the decision to step down was “difficult.”
Several Ukrainian drones thought to be targeting Russian facilities breached Latvian airspace on May 7, one drone crashing into a fuel storage facility and damaging several empty oil tanks near the city Rēzekne, around 25 miles, or 40 kilometers, from the Russian border. No one was reported injured.
Latvia’s defense minister, Andris Spruds, was forced to resign last week, triggering a political crisis in Riga when Sprud’s Progressives party allies withdrew their backing for Silina’s ruling coalition.
Why Did Latvia Prime Minister Resign?
Silina had called for Spruds to leave his post, saying counter-drone systems to defend Latvian airspace had not been deployed fast enough.
Drones launched by Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly violated NATO airspace, pushing the alliance’s members along Europe’s eastern edge to quickly invest in anti-drone defenses.
Drones penetrating NATO airspace have not been treated as attacks on the alliance so far, meaning they have not triggered discussions over a collective response from all 32 members.
But they have exposed gaps in air defenses on the edge of NATO territory, raising questions about how well prepared the alliance is to fend off large-scale drone attacks now that drones are increasingly important in military operations.
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.
How Did the Drones Breach Latvian Airspace?
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the drones that entered Latvia’s airspace were Ukrainian-made and aiming for Russian targets, but Russia’s electronic warfare systems-which jam or confuse the navigation systems in drones-threw off the unmanned aerial vehicles from their trajectories.
“Our goal is to ensure maximum safety for Latvia, other Baltic states, and Finland,” the Ukrainian official said.
In late March, a Ukrainian drone homing in on oil infrastructure in western Russia strayed into Latvia, while more drones packed with explosives have landed in the two other Baltic states.
One of the drones hit the chimney of a power plant in Estonia, and Lithuanian officials said a drone had crashed into an ice-covered lake near Belarusian territory.
Finnish authorities said a Ukrainian drone armed with a warhead had landed on a frozen lake near its border with Russia.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 5:22 AM.