Latvian PM resigns after row over stray Ukrainian drones

Riga: Latvian PM Evika Silina has resigned following a political crisis over Russia-bound Ukrainian drones straying into Latvian territory. Silina fired Defence Minister Andris Spruds last week after two drones crashed in eastern Latvia, criticising his response and appointing a replacement. In protest, the Progressives party pulled its support for the governing coalition, causing it to collapse months before a planned general election in October. “Seeing a strong candidate for the post of defence minister... political windbags have chosen a crisis,” Silina said on Thursday. “I am resigning but I am not giving up.”

The political fallout was triggered by the incursion of three drones into Latvian airspace on May 7, the second such accident in 2026. Both Latvia and Ukraine acknowledged the drones may have been Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles intended to target Russia whose signals had been jammed, leading them to stray into Latvia. One drone crashed on the ground while another struck an empty oil product storage facility near Rezekne. The third flew in and out of Latvian airspace. There were no casualties or injuries, but residents told media the official response had been delayed and insufficient. They said the cell broadcast alert system had not been activated for an hour after one of the drones crashed near Rezekne.