Former defence procurement chief alleges irregularities in drone tender

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said in an interview for a LETA podcast that previously purchased anti-drone systems lack the ammunition needed to operate them, without specifying which procurement or system was involved, or whether it dates to former defence minister Andris Sprūds's tenure.

Retired brigadier general Ervīns Kopeika, who headed the State Defence Logistics and Procurement Centre (VALIC) until 2024, responded to the statement by contacting LA.LV with previously unpublished claims about how a drone procurement was allegedly organised. He says he can support his claims with document copies and audio recordings.

Alleged irregularities

Kopeika says that in early 2024, while conducting internal checks, he discovered forged documents in several already-concluded procurement cases, with hundreds of missing signatures overall. He alleges that a drone procurement competition was effectively staged, since the procurement department director allegedly told him a specific model had already been chosen in advance.

He also argues the procurement should have followed the Law on Defence and Security Procurement rather than the general Public Procurement Law, claiming he faced pressure from ministry leadership to use the latter. He says that after his dismissal, the technical specifications were altered to allow procurement under the simpler public procedure. Kopeika stresses he does not know whether this is the same procurement Kulbergs referred to.

Notably, Kopeika himself already faces criminal charges in a separate case involving alleged document forgery related to writing off missing individual protective equipment.

Sprūds's response

Former defence minister Andris Sprūds rejected Kulbergs's statement as disinformation. He said the issue concerns interceptor drones from Latvian company Origin Robotics, for which explosive payload integration has been in progress since late 2025, involving the armed forces and international suppliers meeting NATO standards, including an agreement with a Polish company.