NATO jet shoots down drone over eastern Latvia after airspace incursion from Russia
NATO fighters shot down a drone over eastern Latvia on June 8 after residents in several municipalities were told to shelter indoors. A French Rafale flying the Baltic Air Policing mission destroyed the aircraft, which Latvia's military said had drifted in from Russia amid electr
On June 8, 2026, NATO Baltic Air Policing fighters shot down a drone that crossed into eastern Latvia from the direction of Russia. Latvia's National Armed Forces issued public air-threat warnings for several eastern municipalities, raised an orange alert, and advised residents to follow the two-wall principle. A French Rafale operating from Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania downed the drone over the Rezekne area. Latvia's military attributed the incursion to Russian electronic warfare. It was the second confirmed shootdown over Baltic territory in three weeks, after a Romanian F-16 destroyed a drone over southern Estonia in May.