Drone found in Alūksne municipality as investigation begins

A drone was found on Saturday, 24 October, in Liepna parish, Alūksne municipality, in north-eastern Latvia. It may have come down on 18 October. The State Police have confirmed that the object is a drone, the National Armed Forces (NBS) told the news site Delfi. Its origin and the circumstances of the incident are still being established, and the NBS has launched an internal service review to assess what happened and the decisions taken.

How events unfolded

The NBS says it received information on 18 October about an explosion-like noise in Liepna parish. After being alerted by the State Police, the armed forces began an in-depth analysis of data from airspace surveillance systems. It indicated that an unidentified object may have moved through Latvian airspace.

Together with the police, the NBS searched for the possible crash site on 18 and 19 October. After two days the search was called off, because the available information was not enough to confirm that an object had fallen or to pinpoint its location.

Why no alert was issued

The NBS explains that assessing an air threat requires weighing data from several surveillance systems along with the overall tactical situation. At the time, the information was insufficient to clearly identify a drone and confirm a threat. The criteria for sending a cell broadcast warning to mobile phones were therefore not met.

No danger found

No civilians were hurt and no civilian infrastructure was damaged. No further threat to public safety linked to the incident has been identified.

The NBS notes that Russia's war in Ukraine continues to create security risks in the region. Electronic warfare equipment used by Russia can disrupt the communication and navigation systems of drones, so similar incidents, in which foreign drones approach or enter Latvian airspace, cannot be ruled out. The armed forces continue to monitor the airspace and cooperate with the responsible state institutions.