Latvia’s government collapsed on Thursday over a dispute about stray Ukrainian drones that crashed in the Baltic country near the Russian border, and tensions boiled in the ruling coalition ahead of national elections.
Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned upon losing the support of her coalition partner, after the suspected Ukrainian drones headed for Russia crossed into Latvia, prompting scrutiny of the country’s ability to detect or intercept threats.
Silina dismissed Defense Minister Andris Spruds on Sunday, saying he had lost her confidence and describing the drone breaches as a last straw. She said airspace violations “demonstrated that the political leadership of the defense sector failed to fulfill its promise of safe skies over our country.”
The dismissal prompted Spruds’s Progressives Party to pull its support from the coalition, bring down the government.
“I am stepping down, but I am not giving up,” Silina, who has been prime minister since 2023, posted Thursday on social media.
“At this moment, political jealousy and narrow party interests have taken precedence over responsibility,” she wrote.
The political turmoil comes ahead of parliamentary elections planned for October, and jockeying among parties for campaign advantage had already started before the drone incident.
Latvia and other NATO allies bordering Russia have poured money into bolstering defenses, including countering drones as the relatively cheap but lethal weaponry transforms modern warfare.
Latvia this year is aiming already to get close to the new spending target for NATO allies of 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035.
Drones have captured the focus of NATO and European Union leaders since violations in NATO airspace last year, some by unidentified drones blamed on Russia.
The aerial incursions sparked warnings that European nations were not sufficiently prepared for modern military threats.
Persian Gulf nations similarly scrambled to develop drone defenses after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, and Iran retaliated with drone strikes on countries across the region.
In Latvia, two drones landed in the east of the country last week, and one hit empty fuel storage tanks near the city of Rezekne. There were no injuries, according to public broadcaster LSM.
Officials said an investigation was underway and the drones were suspected to have been launched by Ukraine against Russia before falling in Latvia by accident.
Ukrainian drones were reported in recent months crossing into the territories of all three Baltic states, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which are some of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha blamed Russian electronic interference for diverting the drones.
Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.
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