NATO jets shoot down drone flying over eastern Latvia

Fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvia's eastern airspace, the country's military said Friday.

The interception came against a backdrop of heightened concern in Europe over unauthorised drone activity, as the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on in its fifth year.

The threat had ended, the armed forces said in a post on X, adding that allied fighter jets successfully destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicle that entered the NATO member state's airspace.

Baltic Sea neighbour Finland also imposed temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Friday, its defence forces said on X.

It described the move as a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of bystanders and the operational capabilities of authorities to counter potential drones.

Hours later, the governor of Russia's northwest Leningrad region said air defences had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones.

"A fire broke out at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga following the attack," regional Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on Telegram.

Earlier in June, French fighter jets deployed to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone in Latvia, marking the first time the alliance's rapid-reaction force has downed a stray drone over the country.

German authorities last week found an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig airport, while operations at Hanover airport were disrupted after a drone entered restricted airspace, officials told AFP on Tuesday

Countries ‌neighbouring Russia and Ukraine issue air threat alerts and down drones from time to time as Moscow and Kyiv continue to exchange attacks.

Russia's northern NATO neighbours are tightening security around dams, power plants and natural gas ⁠infrastructure in a sign of mounting concern that Moscow will stage ⁠a "false flag" attack on them using Ukrainian drones.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)