NATO fighter jets have shot down a drone that entered airspace over Latvia, in an incident that has heightened concerns along the alliance's eastern flank. The drone is believed to have come from Russia, according to the account of the episode.
The Latvian government had earlier asked people to shelter inside as the threat was assessed. After the drone was brought down, the government cancelled the air threat alert it had issued, signalling that the immediate danger had passed.
The episode is the latest in a series of similar incidents. In recent months, military drones from both Russia and Ukraine have strayed into neighbouring countries, repeatedly drawing in NATO forces to respond to the incursions.
Those repeated incursions have required intervention by NATO and have sparked warnings of a possible spillover of the war in Ukraine into neighbouring states. Each new case has added to fears that the conflict could spread beyond the borders of the two warring countries.
Latvia in particular has felt the political consequences of such events. The country's previous defence minister resigned after a backlash from earlier incidents, underscoring how sensitive the issue of airspace violations has become there.
The fallout did not stop with that resignation. According to the account, the government coalition ultimately collapsed in the wake of the earlier incidents, illustrating the broader political strain that the drone incursions have placed on the country.