Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned on Sunday following the recent incursion of two Ukrainian drones into the territory of the Baltic country.
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Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa had called for SprÅ«ds’ resignation, writing on “lost [sa] trust and that of the public”. The head of the Latvian government believes that anti-drone systems were not deployed quickly enough to counter the drone incursion last Thursday.
“This week’s drone incident clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defense sector has failed to deliver on its promise to ensure the security of the skies above our country.”wrote Evika Siliņa.
“This is an enormous responsibility that demands clear results”she added, highlighting the country’s role as one of NATO’s biggest spenders, with the country allocating nearly 5% of its GDP to defense.
Kyiv accuses Moscow of “electronic warfare”
On Thursday, two drones crossed the Russian border into Latvia. One of them hit an oil storage site located in Rezekne, in the east of the country, causing a fire which was quickly brought under control by firefighters.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the drones entered Latvia following a “Russian electronic warfare”. The devices are believed to be Ukrainian drones hijacked by Russia.
Following this new violation of European airspace, Latvia and Lithuania called on NATO to strengthen its air defense.
“As long as Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, it is possible that such incidents will be repeated, when a foreign unmanned aircraft enters or approaches Latvian airspace.”a déclaré l’armée après l’incursion.
Evika Siliņaa declared that Colonel Raivis Melnis is now ready to take the post of Defense Minister.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several Russian and Ukrainian drones have crashed in the trio of Baltic states formed by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Additional sources • AFP
