NATO shoots down drone over Latvia; likely Ukrainian origin due to Russian electronic warfare

Published Aug 14, 09:04 AM UTC

During the night of August 13-14, 2026, an Italian Eurofighter, part of the NATO Air Defence Mission, shot down a drone that intruded into Latvian airspace. The Latvian Ministry of Defence stated the UAV entered Latvian territory as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare. An air threat alert was issued in several municipalities bordering Russia, ending at 4:50 a.m. local time. Finland responded by introducing a temporary restricted zone for air and sea traffic in the eastern Gulf of Finland, lifted after over three hours. The drone was most likely of Ukrainian origin. Earlier, the Governor of Russia's Leningrad Oblast reported a drone attack on the port of Ust-Luga, causing a fire but no fatalities. The article suggests that as a result of Russian port defenses using electromagnetic warfare, one drone veered off course and entered Latvian airspace.