NATO fighter jets shoot down drone over Latvia as Finland restricts airspace

NATO intercepts drone over Latvia

Latvian armed forces announced on X on Friday morning, August 14, that "allied fighter jets" had shot down a drone that penetrated Latvian airspace overnight from Thursday to Friday. The announcement was made in a brief message published on X. The Latvian military stated the unmanned foreign aircraft had entered Latvian territory "following Russian electronic warfare." According to Le Soir, the drone was likely a Ukrainian one that deviated from its planned trajectory due to Russian jamming. The Latvian army initially did not specify the drone's origin but indicated it was a foreign device that had entered Latvian airspace as a result of the electronic warfare environment created by Russian forces.

Fighter jets succeeded in shooting down an unmanned foreign aircraft that had entered Latvia.

Baltic states bordering Russia have been recording a growing number of such intrusions and crashes of unmanned aerial devices on their territories. Latvia sits roughly midway between Ukraine and the Russian Leningrad region, which explains how drones from the conflict can end up in Latvian airspace when electronic countermeasures divert them from their intended paths. During Ukrainian attacks targeting sites in northwestern Russia, drones have previously ended up in the airspace of this EU and NATO member state following Russian countermeasures.

Russian air defence and port fire

Authorities in Russia's Leningrad region, in the northwest of the country, reported on Friday morning having shot down more than 50 Ukrainian drones overnight. A fire broke out at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, which faces the Gulf of Finland. The overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Leningrad region and the fire at Ust-Luga port were reported by regional Russian authorities on Friday morning. The port of Ust-Luga is located on the Gulf of Finland, the same body of water where Finland subsequently issued its airspace restriction.

Finland issues precautionary restrictions

The Finnish military announced on X that it had issued a temporary restriction of airspace and maritime areas in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland overnight, without detailing the specific cause.

This is a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of outsiders and the conditions for authorities to intervene against potential drones.

The restriction covers the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, near where the fire at Ust-Luga port was reported earlier the same morning.

Pattern of incidents

In June 2026, French Rafale jets operating under NATO in the Baltics had already shot down a drone over Latvia. Several drone-related incidents have occurred in Latvia due to the war in Ukraine, with the frequency of intrusions increasing. The previous week, at Leipzig airport in Germany, a key logistics hub for NATO and the transport of military and civilian material to Ukraine, a drone carrying an "unidentified explosive device" was discovered, causing a temporary interruption of traffic.