Baltic Nations Call for More NATO Aerial Defense After Suspected Stray Ukrainian Drones Hit Latvia

This would not be the first time that UAVs from Ukraine have inadvertently ended up in the Balkans.

A NATO flag flutters at the Tapa military base in Estonia on April 30, 2023. Ints Kalnins/Reuters

Latvia and Lithuania on May 7 called for NATO to increase air defenses over the region after two suspected stray Ukrainian drones crossed over the border with Russia and crashed in Latvia, with one of the drones exploding at an oil storage facility.

Police and firefighters said that four empty oil tanks were damaged at a storage facility in Rezekne, Latvia, about 25 miles from the Russian border, and debris believed to be from a crashed drone was found at the site.