Baltic air patrol mission must be expanded after incident with Russian drone in Latgale - Spruds

RIGA - The incident with the Russian drone that flew into the territory of Latvia and crashed in Latgale points to the need to expand the functions of the Baltic airspace patrol mission, allowing NATO fighters to be involved in striking drones, Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Progressives) said on Latvian Television last night.

He repeatedly stressed that the fighter jets patrolling Latvian airspace are under the command of the NATO Command and special algorithms and conditions have been developed for their take-off, which were not met in the specific situation with the Russian drone that flew into the Latvian airspace.

At the same time, the Minister acknowledged that it would be in Latvia's interest that these NATO fighters not only patrol but also protect Latvian airspace. "In general, of course, we want it to be not just an air patrol, but an air defense mission. This would mean that there would be opportunities to potentially engage in drone strikes as well," Spruds said.

According to the politician, such an initiative "has been on the table for some time" and he has also been in contact with the Romanian, Polish, Swedish and Lithuanian defense ministers in this regard.

Spruds reiterated that the incident with the Russian drone in Latgale should be taken very seriously and strategic thinking should be changed, but the fact that this flying object was not shot down does not mean that the National Armed Forces and NATO do not have the will or the ability to protect Latvian territory from the first centimeter.