Italian Eurofighter jets shoot down drone over Latvia in NATO air policing mission

Incident over Latvia

Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets operating under NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a foreign drone that entered Latvian airspace on the evening of 13 August. The Latvian armed forces announced the interception on the morning of 14 August, stating that NATO fighters on patrol had successfully engaged the unmanned vehicle after it violated Latvian airspace near the municipality of Balvi in the northeast of the country. An air alert that had been declared across five regions (Augsdaugava, Preili, Rezekne, Balvi and Aluksne) was revoked at 4:50.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze publicly thanked the Italian allies on X.

We are grateful to our Italian allies for their contribution to the NATO air defense mission in the Baltic countries and for maintaining the integrity of allied airspace: yesterday evening a foreign unmanned aircraft was shot down by our Italian allies over eastern Latvia.

Drone origin and electronic warfare

Official statements did not specify who launched the drone. The Latvian Ministry of Defense attributed the airspace violation to Russian electronic warfare activity. Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian port of Ust-Luga, approximately 100 kilometers east of St. Petersburg, overnight. The shortest route to that target passes along the eastern borders of Latvia and Estonia, supporting the hypothesis that the downed drone was a Ukrainian vehicle diverted from its course by Russian jamming. Ukrainska Pravda reported the drone was "probably Ukrainian."

A spokesperson for the Latvian Joint Staff told national radio that the wreckage location is known but will not yet be disclosed. The drone was shot down at high altitude, meaning debris may have scattered over a considerable area. Authorities urged the public to watch for fragments of the aircraft. Several Ukrainian drones heading toward northwestern Russia had previously entered Latvian airspace and crashed without causing damage or serious injuries.

Italian deployment and NATO context

The Italian Eurofighters are deployed at the Šiauliai base in Lithuania as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, which provides air surveillance for the three Baltic republics. The Italian Air Force has stationed four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft and personnel from several wings at the Lithuanian base, operating under NATO command and control with aircraft on quick-reaction alert for suspicious traces or possible airspace violations.

Broader pattern of airspace violations

The incident adds to a series of drone incursions near NATO borders linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. NATO fighters had already shot down an off-course drone over Latvia in early June. In July, Romania shot down two drones that entered its airspace on two consecutive days; in one of those episodes, two Italian Eurofighters scrambled alongside Romanian F-16s, though the kill was credited to a Romanian fighter. After a Russian drone crashed on a civilian building in Galați, Romania, NATO had announced it was evaluating a strengthening of its sensor network and weapon systems designed to detect and neutralize air threats. Finland has limited air and maritime traffic in parts of the eastern Gulf of Finland to avoid potential incidents with drones from either warring side.

Attack on Ust-Luga

The governor of the Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, reported on his Max channel that 51 enemy drones were shot down over the Leningrad region and that a fire broke out at the Ust-Luga port due to damage sustained. Ust-Luga is a significant energy export hub on the Baltic coast.