A new UAV-related incident occurred in Latvia days after its government collapsed over the Ukrainian kamikaze drones scandal
An unidentified drone has crashed into Lake Dridzis in Latvia, exploding on impact, local authorities have said.
The blast has become the latest in a string of drone-related incidents, which have been plaguing the Baltic states, in recent weeks. Multiple Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones have repeatedly violated the airspace of those NATO and EU member states, with some of the UAVs crashing in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland.
For Latvia, the drone troubles resulted in the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government after two Ukrainian kamikaze UAVs hit an oil depot near the Russian border.
The latest incident was reported on Saturday, when a drone crashed into Lake Dridzis, located some 17 km away from Latvia’s border with Belarus. The UAV exploded on impact, killing fish in the lake with no further damage and injuries reported. Latvian police said it managed to recover some debris from the lake, sharing a picture of a mangled fiberglass object believed to be a piece of the UAV.
Ieraksts papildināts (2026. gada 23. maijs pulksten 12.45) ar bildi – atrasto drona atlūzu. pic.twitter.com/4cuklBtn60
The outgoing PM acknowledged the incident, urging the public to follow only “official information” on the drone explosion. “I expect from the emergency services as detailed information as possible on the circumstances of the incident and further actions,” Silina stated on X.
Moscow has accused NATO states of tacitly allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to conduct strikes in northwestern Russia, specifically on oil export terminals in the Leningrad Region. Earlier this week, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that Ukraine “does not intend to limit itself to using the air corridors provided to the Ukrainians armed by the Baltic states” but also seeks to directly “launch the UAVs from the territory of these countries.”
The agency specifically singled out Latvia, alleging that Riga had already agreed to the operation, believing Kiev’s false claims that it would be impossible to identify the exact launch sites for the drones. Latvia’s NATO membership will not protect the accomplices of terrorists from just retribution,” the SVR warned.
