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…
Opposition parties in Latvia have seized on culturally divisive issues to garner support ahead of the parliamentary elections in October 2026, New Eastern Europe reports. Earlier, the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, voted to withdraw from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women. Opposition parties claim that the human rights treaty is…
Estonia ranked highest in the Baltic States on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index in 2026, BNS reported. Estonia ranked 3rd on the global index of 180 countries and territories surveyed, which was down from 2nd place in 2025. Meanwhile, Lithuania ranked 15th (14th), and Latvia stood in 17th (15th) place. Estonia…
Drivers of motor vehicles in Latvia paid altogether EUR 8.5mn in traffic fines in 2025, according to the country’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), LSM reports. The most violations were registered on the A8 and A1 highways and on Juglas Street in Riga. CSDD’s 100 stationary speed cameras record an average of 200,000 speeding violations…
Estonia’s Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta demanded that the European Commission add the Telegram messaging service to the EU’s list of very large online platforms (VLOP), ERR reports. She said that an independent count showed that the platform clearly had more users than the threshold to be deemed a VLOP. The listing would force Telegram to…
Latvia’s State Police now has authority to impose penalties on drivers without having to stop their vehicle, LSM reports. Police can issue automatic traffic fines for violations detected by mobile and stationary speed cameras and radars as of 11 December 2025. Drivers can appeal the automatic fines within one month of notification.
Estonia does not support banning young people from accessing social media, Estonia’s Justice and Digital Affairs Minister, Liisa Pakosta, announced, ERR reports. Earlier, the European Parliament proposed setting an EU-wide age limit on social media platforms. Under the plan, children could use social media from the age of 13 with parental consent and independently from…
Recent Belarusian actions against Lithuania “could be recognised as terrorism,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene stated, BNS reports. She was referring to the launch of smuggler balloons from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace and the detention of Lithuanian trucks in Belarus. The actions endangered aviation security and violated international law, Ruginiene noted, saying that she was…
Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Industry, Erkki Keldo, has approved a national action plan to broaden equal opportunities and protections for LGBTIQ people, ERR reports. The plan sets goals to ensure that everyone in Estonia has equal opportunity to live a full, supported, and inclusive life, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or…
