A French Rafale fighter jet operating under the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a UAV inside Latvian airspace. This marks the very first time that NATO’s rapid reaction air mission has intercepted and neutralized a stray drone over Latvia
Latvia’s military confirmed that “a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare”, without disclosing the origin of the drone. “Thank you, our French Allies, for taking down the drone that flew into Latvian airspace!” Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze posted on X.
The two jets took off from the Siauliai airbase in northern Lithuania and shot down the drone “at around 10:00” am local time, Lithuanian military spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis told AFP.
In a previous incident, a Romanian jet stationed in Lithuania shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia on May 19. Ukrainian drones have previously crashed in all three Baltic states, which are all NATO and EU members, with local officials saying they veered off course due to Russian electronic warfare measures.
A Ukrainian drone flying towards the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on May 20 prompted the country’s authorities to issue an air alert warning to the general population for the first time, with residents and leaders heading to bomb shelters. Several Russian drones have also crashed in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X: I was glad to speak with my good friend and colleague from Latvia @Braze_Baiba. We are in close contact with Latvia over the recent drone incidents, and our competent authorities are sharing information to get to the bottom of what happened. If there is a confirmation that those were Ukrainian drones that were deliberately knocked off course and directed toward Latvia by Russia’s electronic warfare, we will offer our most sincere apologies to our Latvian friends. What can be stated with full confidence is that Ukraine never directed any drones toward Latvia. We have already expressed our apologies to all three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Finland, for the unintended incidents that were caused by Russia’s EW systems redirecting Ukrainian drones. Our specialized institutions are working closely together to minimize the risks of such incidents repeating. Under President @ZelenskyyUa’s instructions, we are also considering sending Ukrainian expert teams to directly strengthen the airspace security of our friends against any type of incident.
Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, on June 2, French Rafales participating in the Baltic Air Policing mission intercepted Russian Su-35 and other warplanes over the Baltic Sea. Two French Rafales were scrambled from Siauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania and joined SAAB Gripens for the mission.
France’s Joint Staff also published a video of the interception. “The situation was monitored by our pilots without further escalation,” France’s Joint Staff said in a statement. “As part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, Rafale aircraft provide daily surveillance and defense of the Baltic airspace alongside their allies.”
The Su-35 air-superiority fighter was escorting two reconnaissance aircraft (An-12 and An-30), Su-24 and Su-34 strike fighters, and an Il-76 transport. Since the Su-35 was the only aircraft in the formation optimized for air-to-air combat, it must have escorted the other Russian aircraft as they approached hostile territory.
📍Lithuania | Interception of 6 🇷🇺 aircrafts within the Baltic air space 🚨✈️
⚡️ Scramble of two 🇫🇷 Rafale aircraft of the Baltic Air Policing 71 detachment, based in Šiauliai 🇱🇹, in order to escort 🇷🇺 aircrafts operating in the Baltic responsibility area.
👀 Visual… pic.twitter.com/eDMIBB7xBI— The 🇫🇷 Joint Staff – Military operations (@FrenchForces) June 4, 2026
Such aerial engagements between NATO and Russian aircraft over the strategic Baltic Sea have become quite routine since the last two years, as tensions remain high due to the Ukraine War, and fears of the war spilling into a wider regional conflict and even into a NATO Vs Russia conflict.
Russia frequently flies such missions over the Baltic Sea to assess NATO countries’ reaction times and counter-strategies.
- By: ET Online Desk with AFP Inputs
- Mail us at: editor (at) eurasiantimes.com
