“I will resign as Defense Minister in order to protect the Latvian army from divisive political campaigns.†This was declared on Sunday evening by Minister Andris Spruds, of the Progressivie party. [les “Progressistes†sont le parti social-démocrate et proeuropéen au sein de la coalition gouvernementale en Lettonie] during a press conference reported by the public media LSM.
When a drone from Ukraine fell, early on Thursday, May 7, on an oil site near Rezekne, a large town in eastern Latvia located near the Russian border, residents were only warned of the danger several hours later. In total, two drones struck oil storage facilities in this small Baltic country of 1.82 million inhabitants. But this is not the only criticism that Evika Silina, the head of government, made to her minister. In fact, she claimed that Latvia’s anti-drone systems had not been deployed quickly enough by the Defense Ministry, writing on her X account that Andris Spruds had lost “[sa] confidence and that of the Latvians…
“A huge responsibilityâ€
Today, the defense budget reaches almost 5% of Latvia’s GDP, a record funding level. “It’s a huge responsibility that demands clear results… she continued again on “showed that the political leadership of the defense sector has failed to deliver on its promise to guarantee safe skies above [la Lettonie]†. To reinforce security, it therefore recommends“systematically integrate the Ukrainian experience†(notably in the development of anti-drone systems) in the defense of Latvia.
The future of the coalition is now in question, a few months before a new legislative vote scheduled for October 3. The Progressivie party, one of the three that make up this coalition, will announce its decision this week. The Prime Minister will act in the interim, before the announced appointment of Colonel Raivis Melnis, who currently serves as representative of the Ministry of Defense in Ukraine. Considering that this sector “needs a new professional approach†, she chose this profile passed through the national armed forces and which “a Ukrainian experience†for having worked there.
“Russian Jammingâ€
In recent months, several Ukrainian drones en route to attack Russian oil complexes located on the Baltic coast have crashed in the region. In March, a drone hit the chimney of a power station in Auvere, Estonia. This is a consequence of “Russian scrambling†, says Estonian broadcaster ERR, quoting a message on the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s X account.
The Baltic countries and Ukraine are in discussions to cooperate on this point. “Lithuania will invite Ukrainian experts to combat drones penetrating [l'espace aérien lituanien]†, Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas told the national daily LRT.
