A French Rafale fighter jet, part of a NATO mission, shot down a drone after it entered Latvian airspace, Reuters and DPA reported, citing the Latvian Armed Forces, BTA reported.
The drone was a foreign aircraft that ended up in Latvian airspace as a result of "Russian electromagnetic warfare, " the armed forces said.
There were no further details about the origin or type of aircraft.
Latvia, a NATO and EU member that shares borders with both Russia and Belarus, has seen a growing number of incidents with drones in recent months. On several occasions, so-called "lost drones" used by Ukraine to strike targets in northwestern Russia have entered the airspace of the Baltic state and crashed.
There have been no significant damages or casualties so far. However, the incidents have sparked a political crisis in Latvia and led to a change of government.
Ukraine has accused Russia of influencing the drones' trajectories through electromagnetic warfare.
The French Rafale fighter jet that shot down the drone is based at Šiauliai airport as part of a NATO mission to protect the airspace over the Baltic states. The mission has been in force over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since they joined NATO in 2004. Romanian F-16 fighter jets, also based in Šiauliai and Portuguese F-16 fighter jets based in Amari, Estonia.
Last month, a Romanian military plane taking part in the mission shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia. It was the first time an aircraft had “fired a missile in defence of the Alliance” in the Baltic states.
Latvia’s military had earlier issued an air threat warning in its eastern regions bordering Russia and Belarus, Reuters reported. Residents in two regions were asked to seek shelter. The air alert was lifted after the drone was shot down.
At least one drone has been confirmed to have entered Latvian airspace from Russia, a military spokesman told Reuters.
Military drones intruding into airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, fuel fears that the war in Ukraine is spreading to NATO's northern borders with Russia.
As Ukraine steps up long-range attacks on Russian ports on the Baltic Sea, where oil is transported, some of its drones have missed their targets, prompting security warnings in neighboring countries.