NATO jets shoot down drone in Latvian airspace

NATO fighter jets shot down a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle in Latvian airspace on Friday, and Latvia's armed forces later said the threat had ended.

Latvia's defence ministry said on X that the drone had entered the country as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare. The armed forces said allied fighter jets destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicle after it entered the NATO member state's airspace.

Latvia, an EU and NATO member of about 1.9 million people, borders Russia to the east. It and other countries on NATO's eastern flank have experienced repeated drone incursions.

The incident came days after French fighter jets deployed to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone in Latvia on Monday, described as the first time the alliance's rapid-reaction force had downed a stray drone over the country.

Finland also imposed temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Friday. Its defence forces described the move as a precaution to protect bystanders and preserve authorities' ability to counter potential drones.