Andris Spruds, former Latvian defense minister. (c) Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP
Former Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds says he was “realistic” about the limits of Latvia’s air defense. An incident involving the incursion of Ukrainian drones into Latvia led to a week of political tension and the resignations of the defense minister and prime minister.
Spruds told Euronews that there was no “silver bullet” to stop “stray” drones.
It is difficult todeal with dronesthat havelosttheirtrajectory
“I’ve always said it’s difficult to deal with drones that have lost trajectory,” he told the Europe Today program.
Spruds resigned on Sunday after Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silinja demanded he leave office over a serious security breach and the ensuing political storm.
Last Thursday, several drones invaded Latvian airspace and crashed in the eastern Latgale region, near the settlements of Balvi and Ludza near the Russian border. One drone hit an oil storage facility, causing a small fire.
“These incidents have shown that the political leadership of the defense sector has failed to fulfill its promise to ensure safe skies over our country,” Silinja said on Sunday, explaining Spruds’ resignation.
The crisis has turned into a political collapse
However, the crisis quickly turned into a broader political collapse. Silinya herself resigned yesterday after her coalition fell apart amid controversy over the government’s handling of the drone incidents.
Latvia’s political elite blamed Russia for Ukrainian drones using electronics to infiltrate Baltic airspace, while critics back home accused Spruds of leaving the country defenseless.
A slew of drones believed to be aimed at Russia have crossed into Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in recent weeks, heightening concerns about the Baltic states’ preparedness to respond to military threats.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said the incidents were “the result of Russian electronic warfare, deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from targets in Russia.”
He offered Latvia, Finland and other countries in the Baltic region to help Ukraine prevent similar incidents in the future.
