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NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said Friday that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that entered Latvian airspace was shot down by Turkish and Italian air assets, adding that the alliance remains prepared against threats.
Hart made the statement on X after NATO fighter jets shot down the UAV over Latvia.
“Italian Eurofighters deployed in Lithuania and Turkish F-16s from Estonia scrambled because of a UAV over Latvian airspace,” Hart said.
She said Romanian and Spanish F-16 fighter jets had also taken action a day earlier after UAVs entered Romanian airspace near the Ukrainian border.
Hart said NATO was closely monitoring developments.
“NATO is ready 24/7 against possible threats. We will continue to protect our territory and ensure the safety of our people,” she said.
Latvia said a UAV that entered its airspace had been shot down by NATO fighter jets and that the threat had ended.
It did not provide information on where the UAV had taken off from.
Latvia’s National Armed Forces initially issued an air threat warning covering the municipalities of Augsdaugava, Preili, Rezekne and Balvi.
Residents were urged to seek shelter indoors and follow the “two-wall principle.”
Authorities also warned people not to approach low-flying or suspicious objects and to call emergency services if they spotted one.
In a later statement, the armed forces said the threat had ended.
“Allied fighter jets have successfully shot down the unmanned aerial vehicle that entered the airspace!” it said.
The armed forces said additional information would be released later.
The North Atlantic Council, which brings together the permanent representatives of the 32 allied countries, met a day earlier to address Polish and Romanian airspace violations, as well as recent UAV incidents.
The council condemned the incidents and said the alliance was determined to defend allied territory.
Three UAVs said to belong to Russia violated Romanian airspace on July 24–26 and were neutralized by F-16 fighter jets.
On July 30, during a Russian missile attack on Ukraine, a Kh-101-type missile violated Polish airspace and fell near Lublin.
Meanwhile, Finland announced temporary restrictions on air and maritime traffic in the eastern Gulf of Finland in the country’s south, near the border with Russia, according to local reports.
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