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The Guardian World1 min read
Latvian prime minister resigns after drone incident
TL;DR
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has resigned after losing support from her coalition partner, the Progressives Party. Her resignation follows a drone incident that raised concerns about the country's defense leadership.
Key points
- Evika Silina announced her resignation as Prime Minister of Latvia
- The Progressives Party withdrew support from her government
- Andris Spruds resigned as Defence Minister over drone incidents
- Suspected Ukrainian drones entered Latvian territory
- The incidents raised concerns about Latvia's defense capabilities
Mentioned in this story
Evika SilinaAndris SprudsProgressives PartyLatvia
Latvian centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation, after the Progressives Party, her left-leaning coalition partner, pulled support from the government and left her without a majority.
“I am resigning, but I am not giving up,” Silina, who has been prime minister since 2023, said in a televised statement on Thursday.
Her resignation came days after Latvia’s Defence Minister Andris Spruds, from the Progressives Party, was forced to resign over the government’s handling of several incidents involving stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine crossing into Latvian territory. Silina said at the time that Spruds had lost her trust and that of the public.
The drone incidents “clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defence sector has failed to fulfil its promise of safe skies over our country”, Silina said on Sunday, explaining Spruds’s resignation.
On May 7, two suspected Ukrainian drones entered Latvia, one of them crashing at a fuel storage facility. Multiple Ukrainian drones headed for Russia have hit Baltic countries since March, as well as several other European countries since the Ukraine war started. The incidents have led to domestic criticism of Baltic nations’ abilities to respond to military threats.
Silina’s resignation comes just months before general elections due in October. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, tasked with appointing a new head of government, is set to meet with representatives of parliamentary parties on Friday.
“My priority has always been, and remains, the well-being and security of Latvia’s people,” Silina wrote on X on Thursday. “Parties and coalitions change, but Latvia endures. And my responsibility to society comes above all else.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha offered to help the Baltic states and Finland to prevent such incidents in the future. He said on Sunday the incidents in Latvia were “the result of Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia”
Q&A
Why did Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina resign?
Evika Silina resigned after the Progressives Party withdrew support from her government, leaving her without a majority.
What caused the resignation of Latvia's Defence Minister Andris Spruds?
Andris Spruds resigned due to the government's inadequate handling of drone incidents involving suspected Ukrainian drones crossing into Latvia.
What incidents led to criticism of Latvia's defense capabilities?
The arrival of suspected Ukrainian drones, including one that crashed at a fuel storage facility, highlighted failures in Latvia's defense sector and prompted public criticism.
