Latvian PM resigns following row over stray Ukrainian Drones26 minutes agoLaura GozziReutersLatvian Premier Evika Silina resigned after a political crisis involving Russian-bound Ukrainian drones that strayed into Latvian territory. She had fired her Defense Minister Andris Spruds, criticising his reaction and appointing an alternative. In protest, Spruds’s Progressives pulled their support for Silina’s governing coalition, leading to its collapse months before “Seeing a strong contender for the position of defence minister… political windbags chose a crisis,” Silina stated on Thursday. “I’m resigning, but I’m not giving up.” The political fallout was triggered when three drones entered Latvian airspace in May, the second such incident since the beginning of 2026. Both Latvia and Ukraine confirmed that the drones could have been Ukrainian UAVs meant to target Russia but whose signals were jammed causing them to stray to Latvia. One drone crashed to the ground, while another hit an empty oil storage facility near Rezekne. The third drone flew into and out of Latvian skies. Local residents complained to media that the official response was insufficient and delayed. There were no injuries or casualties, but there were local residents who said the official response had been delayed. They claimed that the cell broadcast system was not activated for over an hour after one drone crashed near Rezekne. Silina said that after the incident, “Something went awry.” We cannot allow this situation to continue. She said that she had also asked Spruds, the Latvian defence minister to resign due to the current situation in the sector. Silina said that the Baltic country spends about 5% of its GDP for national defence. She said this entailed “a much higher level of responsibility towards society…that requires clear results”.President Edgars Rinkevics announced he would make a decision regarding “the fastest possible formation” of new government on 15 may.Evika Silina, who was appointed Latvia’s Prime Minister in September 2023 and led a coalition of four parties, has been unwavering in its support for Ukraine against Russia. Latvia, along with Lithuania and Estonia, is increasingly concerned about a possible Russian invasion. It has significantly increased its defence capabilities and reintroduced mandatory military service one year after Moscow launched the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. Estonia and Latvia say territories hit by stray Ukrainian dronesEuropeUkraineLatvia
