Germany Sends Eurofighters to Guard Latvia's Election After Drone Incursions
Germany is deploying four Eurofighter jets to Latvia to secure its airspace through the October 3rd parliamentary election, after repeated drone incursions this year. One of those drones was later identified by Latvia's own military as Ukrainian, having crossed in from Belarus. Latvia's defense minister resigned in May after a separate drone strike on an oil depot.
Latvia holds no fighter jets of its own, and heads into its October 3rd parliamentary election under the shadow of repeated drone incursions. Germany is sending four Eurofighter jets and a contingent of specialists to Lielvarde air base for about a week to secure Latvian airspace, under NATO's enhanced Air Policing North mission. A French jet shot down a drone over Latvia's Latgale region in June; a second, downed near Rugaji in August, was later identified by Latvia's own military as Ukrainian, having strayed in from Belarus. Latvia's defense minister resigned in May, three days after a drone struck an oil storage facility in Rezekne. Two days before this announcement, a separate incident saw an Italian jet shoot down a drone over neighboring Lithuania, part of the same broader pressure on NATO's eastern flank.