Latvian soldiers used tear gas and fired one warning shot into the air after five or more migrants attempting to enter from Belarus acted aggressively and threw logs toward troops, according to the Latvian army. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said attempted crossings had recently doubled, without providing exact figures, and described the situation as a hybrid threat.
A French Rafale fighter jet operating under NATO command shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace from Russia on Monday. Latvian military officials attributed the incursion to Russian electronic warfare, marking the latest security incident along NATO's eastern border amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Russia accused Latvia and other Baltic states of planning to host Ukrainian drone launches and warned of military retaliation, prompting Latvia to dismiss the claims as 'pure fiction.' The tensions coincided with Lithuania shutting down Vilnius airspace due to suspected drone incursions, with EU leaders vowing a response.
