Warplanes were scrambled as the unidentified unmanned aircraft flew around 40 miles into Latvia and struck an oil depot
NATO fighter jets have been scrambled over Europe after mystery drones entered Latvian airspace and struck an oil depot.
Alliance warplanes were scrambled as the unidentified unmanned aircraft flew around 40 miles into the country, with one crashing at an oil depot in Rēzekne – a city in the east of the country. Four empty oil tanks were said to be damaged in the incident.
The authorities were urgently seeking to investigate whether the drone flights were a hostile act by Russia – or Ukrainian UAVs which flew off course after electronic warfare interference while attacking targets in Vladimir Putin’s territory.
Residents in the Latgale region – the easternmost part of Latvia directly bordering Russia – received airspace threat warnings and mobile phone alerts at 4:09am and 4:43am.
They were also urged to remain indoors, while schools in the Rēzekne and Ludza districts were forced to close.
This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.
