The general admitted defeat in the vision. “Our systems have completely failed.”
The Latvian army admitted that it did not detect drones that entered from Russia. One of them damaged the oil tank in Rzeżyca.
In Latvia, an analysis of a serious incident involving drones that entered the country from Russia is ongoing. The commander of the Latvian armed forces, General Kaspars Pudans, openly admitted that military radar systems and sensors did not detect the first unmanned aerial vehicle.
The general’s words in the LTV television program resonated loudly. According to the military, it is currently being examined whether air defense on Latvia’s eastern border is effective enough against the threats related to the war in Ukraine.
The drone damaged an oil tank
According to Latvian services, at least three drones may have entered the country’s airspace. Two of them fell into Latvian territory, and the third one turned towards Russia.
One of the drones damaged an oil storage tank in Rzeżyca. The place where the second drone fell has still not been determined. The army does not rule out that there could have been more machines.
The incident is the second similar incident in recent weeks. Earlier, during intense Ukrainian attacks on Russian ports and terminals, drones also flew over Latvia to lose course.
Russia summoned after drone incident
After the drone incursion, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Russian embassy in Riga and handed him a protest note. The statement emphasized that the aggressive war waged by Russia against Ukraine increases the risk of incidents that threaten the security of the entire region.
However, the Latvian services emphasize that the origin of the drones has still not been clearly confirmed. Investigators are also checking the scenario according to which Ukrainian drones could have been intercepted and used by Russia for provocation.
Drones are an increasing problem for NATO
Drone incidents are becoming an increasing challenge for countries bordering Russia and Belarus. The problem turns out to be not only the identification of machines, but also the effectiveness of response systems. Last year, drones also entered Poland.
