Latvia investigates drones ‘from Russia’ that crashed near empty oil facilities - Europe live

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Latvia is investigating two drones which entered its airspace from Russian territory overnight and crashed in eastern part of the country near an empty oil storage facility.

Four empty oil tanks were reported damaged, with minor smouldering reported in one of the tanks. The local public broadcaster captured a drone flying in the area on their camera.

Oil tanks at the site where drones crashed at a storage facility in Rezekne, Latvia. Photograph: Janis Laizans/Reuters

Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa convened a crisis management meeting for 10am local time. She earlier said she was “in constant communication” with relevant ministers and state institutions.

“After the incident concludes, I expect reports from the responsible ministers on what happened,” she said.

The investigation is still in very early stages, but the drones might have been Ukrainian units that lost their way due to signal jamming, defence minister Andris Sprūds said.

This would not be the first time that a lost Ukrainian drone attacking Russia’s oil terminals loses its way and ends up in a neighbouring Nato country, with similar incidents involving Estonia and Lithuania.

“As long as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues, the recurrence of such incidents when a foreign unmanned aircraft enters or approaches Latvian airspace is possible,” the Latvian army said in a statement.