An unidentified drone crashed into a lake in eastern Latvia on 23 May 2026, LSM reported. A local resident saw the drone fall into Lake Dridzis in the Kraslava municipality and explode on impact. No injuries or damage was reported. Authorities are examining the wreckage. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) said that their sensors…
Latvia’s population has dropped at the highest rate in the entire EU over the last 20 years, according to Eurostat, LSM reported. Latvia’s population declined by 17% in 2005-2025. Meanwhile, Lithuania’s population decreased by 14%, whereas Estonia’s population only declined by 1% over the same period. The population totalled 2.89 million people in Lithuania, 1.86…
The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) has introduced a new two-tier system for mobile alerts informing the public of potential security threats, LSM reports. Alerts are now either yellow or orange, depending on the assessed seriousness of the threat. Yellow alerts will warn of possible threats in Latvian airspace requiring no immediate action from residents,…
Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers condemned ​Russian threats to attack the Baltic States amid Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reported. Earlier, Russia claimed that Ukraine was using NATO airspace as cover for drone attacks on Russian targets. In a joint statement, the NB8 foreign ministers rejected “Russia’s blatant disinformation campaign and false claims, supported by Belarus,…
All political groups in Latvia had less than 10% support among voters in April-May 2026, according to a new SKDS poll, LSM reported. The right-wing populist opposition party, Latvia First (LPV), was ahead with 9.3% support, which was up from 8.9% in March 2026. The social-democratic Progressives came in second with 7.8% (6.9%), followed by…
The presidents of the Baltic States strongly condemned airspace violations by drones flying in from Russia and Belarus, ERR reported. In a joint statement, the three presidents rejected Russia’s disinformation campaign and threats related to the drone incursions, saying that Russia was trying to undermine Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russian aggression. They reiterated…
Poor management of Latvia’s state forest management company, Latvijas Valsts Mezi (LVM), led to major monetary losses, according to the State Audit Office (LRVK), LSM reported. The audit concluded that LVM’s management and the Ministry of Agriculture had failed to ensure sufficiently effective oversight of the company. The government’s decision to provide support to timber…
Leaders of NATO and the EU expressed full support for the Baltic States after Russian threats, ERR reported. Russia accused the Baltic States of allowing Ukrainian drone strikes from their territory, threatening retaliation. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte called the Russian accusations “absolutely ridiculous,” while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen stated that the…
Four political groups in Latvia have signed an agreement on tasks and working principles for a new coalition government, LETA reports. The new coalition would consist of the opposition United List and National Alliance as well as current coalition partners New Unity and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS). United List’s Andris Kulbergs would…
