Latvia Identifies Crashed Russian Drone as a Shahed Equipped With Explosives

Latvian officials reported that the Russian military drone, which crashed in Latvia on Saturday, September 7, was carrying explosives likely intended for Ukraine and not for Latvia.

According to Delfi news, Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš, Commander of Latvia’s National Armed Forces, revealed at a press conference that the drone that crashed in Latvia was an Iranian-designed Shahed mode. Kalniņš expressed that after analyzing and monitoring the situation, it was concluded that the drone was not specifically aimed at Latvia. 

The explosives onboard, likely intended for Ukraine, were deactivated after the drone was discovered. The drone fell near the village of Gaigalava, approximately 90 km (60 miles) from the Belarus border, from where it had entered, the Latvian Defence Ministry stated on Monday.

At the same time, Latvia’s Minister of Defense Andris Sprūds confirmed that it can be considered that this drone of the aggressor country was directed against the democratically free society, Russia's neighboring country, Ukraine. The Minister repeatedly emphasized that discussions about whether or not this drone was maliciously aimed at Latvia are secondary, the primary thing is that the Latvian airspace was violated by a drone of an aggressor country, and this is exactly how this situation is assessed.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana condemned the incidents on Sunday as "irresponsible and potentially dangerous," but noted there was no evidence suggesting a deliberate attack on NATO member states.

On September 7, a Russian military drone crashed in the eastern part of Latvia. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasized the growing number of such incidents along NATO’s eastern flank and the importance of addressing these threats collectively.