Latvia's defense minister, Adris Spruds, resigned on 10/5, a decision prompted by outrage over the country's inability to detect two Ukrainian drones that strayed into its airspace last week. The drones, which were targeting Russian territory, crossed the border into Latvia, hitting oil tanks and causing a fire. Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga confirmed on 10/5 that the drones belonged to Ukraine, explaining they were diverted by "russian electronic warfare". Although the fire at the oil tanks caused no casualties and was quickly contained, the incident sparked public anger over Latvia's air defense shortcomings.

Prime minister Evika Silina stated that defense minister Adris Spruds had lost her trust and that of the public. Silina criticized the slow deployment of anti-drone systems. "The incident clearly demonstrated that the defense leadership failed to uphold its promise of a safe sky for the country. This is a significant responsibility that requires clear results", prime minister Silina said.

Latvian defense minister Adris Spruds in Poland on 6/5. *AFP*

The Latvian government leader also noted that Latvia is among the highest defense spenders in NATO, allocating nearly 5% of its GDP to defense. Following the prime minister's criticism, defense minister Spruds resigned on 10/5. Ukraine has also pledged to deploy anti-drone experts to assist the Baltic nations in strengthening their air defense capabilities.

Since the Moskva-Kiev conflict began in 2/2022, several Russian and Ukrainian drones have crashed in the three Baltic nations: Estonia, Latvia, and Litva.

Location of the three Baltic nations and Russia. *BBC*

Ngoc Anh (According to AFP, Reuters)