Latvia Military Says Crashed Russian Drone Was Shahed
(Bloomberg) -- Latvia’s top military commander said a Russian drone that crashed on the Baltic nation’s territory was an Iranian-designed model as authorities called on NATO allies to bolster air defenses.
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Military commander Leonids Kalnins said debris from the unmanned aerial vehicle that veered into Latvian airspace showed that it was a “Shahed-style” drone. The UAV crossed into Latvia from Belarus and crashed near the eastern town of Rezekne, Latvia’s president said Sunday.
The armed UAV was meant to be deployed in attacks in Ukraine, Kalnins told reporters in Riga on Monday.
Authorities tracked the drone as it flew some 55 kilometers (34 miles) into Latvia before crashing, Kalnins said. Authorities say that the incident lays bare the region’s vulnerability — the Baltic states don’t have their own air forces and rely on NATO to provide fighter jets on a rotational basis.
The Latvian military chief said low-flying aircraft like drones can be difficult to distinguish from other airborne objects such as hang gliders.
Defense Minister Andris Spruds said the crash showed that air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank “have to be reinforced.”
“We are currently also strengthening our presence in air defense right on the eastern border, because this proves that our capabilities also need to be strengthened,” he said.
Increased Attacks in Ukraine
The defense minister of neighboring Lithuania, Laurynas Kasciunas, also called for more defense systems in NATO’s eastern flank and a stronger mandate for the air policing mission in the Baltic region which would allow for a more forceful response to such incidents.
Latvia and Romania each reported incidents involving Russian drones during another attack launched against Ukraine over the weekend, a sign of increasing aerial threats posed to countries in the region.
The Foreign Ministry in Riga summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires to address the incident — and said it plans to increase protection of its land borders, airspace and territorial waters.
As winter approaches, Moscow’s forces have stepped up aerial attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, regularly sending dozens of drones to attack. Those UAVs circle above Ukraine and have sometimes crossed into the airspace of neighboring countries, including Romania and Poland.
Such incidents have sparked a debate in Poland on whether to start shooting down Russian military objects that enter into its airspace. So far, Poland, also a NATO member, has been reluctant to do so over concerns of the potential damage from falling debris.
--With assistance from Ott Tammik, Milda Seputyte and Mark Sweetman.
(Adds defense minister comments, attacks over weekend from fourth paragraph.)
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