Several unmanned aerial vehicles entered Latvian airspace from Russia, and two of them crashed in eastern Latvia, in the early morning hours of 7 May 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. One of the drones crashed at East-West Transit’s oil storage facility in Rezekne, LETA reported. No significant damage and no injuries were reported, according to LSM. The other drone is believed to have crashed west of Rezekne, and the search is still ongoing. Authorities suspended low-altitude flights and schools in areas of Latvia’s eastern Latgale region bordering Russia.
President Edgars Rinkevics, Prime Minister Evika Silina, and Defence Minister Andris Spruds all said that the drone incidents were a consequence of Russia’s war against Ukraine, warning that Latvian society should be ready for more such incidents. However, Silina asked that Spruds explain why mobile alerts to residents were only issued over an hour after the first crash, LETA reported. Opposition parties in parliament demanded that Spruds resign, accusing him of mishandling the incidents. A spokesman for NBS said that the drones were not shot down as there was a risk of harm to civilians or infrastructure.