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Nato jets shoot down Russian drone after entering alliance airspace

Nato fighter jets have shot down a Russian drone after entering Latvia's airspace, its army has confirmed. Earlier this morning, alliance forces shot down a drone which entered Riga's airspace from Russia, in the latest in a series of straying missiles across the Baltic nations. Latvia's army announced the news on X, writing: "Allied fighter jets successfully shoot down a drone flying into Latvian airspace!" The authorities sent out warnings through eastern Latvia to take shelter indoors due to a threat. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Alerts stopped when the drone was successful shot down, the Latvian army confirmed. The straying of drones has become a more frequent occurrence since Kyiv has ramped up its long-range drone attacks against Russia. Ukraine has begun utilising exploding drones to attack Russian Baltic ports which handle roughly 40 per cent of the country's national oil and gas exports. Unintentionally, the drones have occasionally strayed into Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace. Last month Ukraine blamed Russia for rerouting one of its drones into Estonian airspace where a Nato jet intervened to shoot it down. It accused Vladimir Putin's war machine of using electronic jamming to misguide the drone. Electronic jamming use powerful radio frequencies or electromagnetic pulses to disrupt the control links and navigation systems between a drone and its operator. Ukraine apologised to "Estonia and all our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents". LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Israel launches retaliatory strikes on Iran in defiance of Donald Trump as ceasefire pushed to brink Iran war forces petrol and diesel drivers to pay £1.7bn more than EV owners as fuel prices soar At least three dead after massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Philippines Moscow has accused the Baltic states of allowing Ukraine to use their "air corridors" to attack Russian assets - a claim which Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have denied. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said last month: "Estonia has not granted permission to use its airspace to anyone other than its allies, and the Ukrainians have not asked for this permission." Late last week, a sea drone hit a Romanian port, with Ukraine accusing Russia of jamming the device causing it to drift. The Ukraine-owned drone apparently lost control in the Black Sea, according to the navy, who reached out to Romanian authorities warning them of a possible hit. Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta said the warning allowed a timely evacuation of the busy port in Constanta. The port was evacuated and over 1,000 people were asked to leave the nearby beaches and Danube Delt as a precaution. President Nicusor Dan pointed the finger at Russia for the incident and confirmed another three Ukrainian drones had lost control and detonated off Romania's coast. He said: "The entry of this drone into Romanian sovereign space is a direct consequence of the war waged by Russia against Ukraine." As straying drones continue to breach Nato airspaces, European leaders have said they will back Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's calls for direct talks with Putin. Yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said they were in favour of diplomatic talks between the warring nations. The leaders said they agree there should be a ceasefire alongside security guarantees and compensation for Ukraine. Mr Putin rejected the offer of talks, insisting Russia will achieve its ambitions in Ukraine, including the seizure of the eastern Donbas region. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter