French NATO jets patrolling Baltic airspace intercepted and shot down an unidentified drone over Latvia on June 8, 2026, marking the first such interception in the country. The intrusion prompted authorities to raise the alert level in regions bordering Russia.
NATO jets Incident Timeline: Emergency Public Alerts
On the morning of June 8, the National Armed Forces of Latvia detected an unidentified aerial vehicle crossing the state border. Due to the threat, military leadership immediately activated emergency safety protocols:
- Orange Alert Issued: At approximately 9:40 a.m., an orange threat level was declared in the Rēzekne and Ludza municipalities, which border the Russian Federation.
- Alert Zone Expanded: The warning was subsequently extended to the Alūksne and Balvi municipalities.
- Emergency Mobile Alerts: Residents in all four eastern border regions received warnings through the national cell broadcast system.
- NATO jets on standby scrambled to intercept the target, successfully destroying it over Nautrēni parish in the Rēzekne municipality.
The initial air alert in the northeastern municipalities was lifted after the drone was destroyed.
Alert Wave and NATO jets Response Near Belarus
Despite the destruction of the first target, the situation on NATO’s eastern flank remained tense as Latvian authorities detected further potential airspace threats later in the morning.
New warnings were issued for the Ludza, Rēzekne, and Balvi municipalities. For the first time that day, an alert also targeted the Krāslava municipality, which borders Belarus.
The National Armed Forces of Latvia warned citizens that as long as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, the risk of foreign combat or reconnaissance drones entering Baltic airspace remains high. NATO command reaffirmed its readiness to prevent any violations of allied borders.
