Latvia finds parts of Russian drone amid Ukraine-Poland defense talks

Latvia discovered fragments from a Russian Gerbera drone on a western beach near the Baltic Sea on Sept. 18, days after a similar incident happened in Poland raised alarms about Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have been crossing recently into NATO airspace. 

The spillover of Russia’s war mongering underscores how its reckless actions have emulated similar incidents into Romanian territory, Poland more than once, Lithuania, and now Latvia. 

“A bomb disposal team has been deployed to analyze the object,” the Latvian military said.

The discovery was later confirmed by Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds. Prime Minister Evika Siliņa ordered authorities to determine whether the drone is similar to one found in Poland last week.

“While strengthening our eastern border is a priority, it is equally important to protect the Baltic coastline by installing the necessary sensors,” Siliņa said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Ukraine and Poland are establishing a Joint Task Force on Unmanned Aerial Systems.

The task force will focus on joint training programs and the exchange of operational knowledge and experience with UAVs. It will help develop and test methods for drone deployment and countermeasures, integrate innovative technologies, and strengthen interoperability between the Ukrainian and Polish armed forces in line with NATO standards.

The development comes after an incident on the night of Sept. 9–10, when about 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine. The event sparked discussions about NATO’s ability to counter potential attacks from Moscow.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski suggested on Sept. 14 that the West should intercept Russian drones and missiles in Ukrainian airspace.

Read also: Russian drones in Poland: Will it change the course of the war?