Latvian mayor criticizes ministers after overnight air alert in Latgale: 'They were sleeping while we worked'

Andrejs Elksniņš, the mayor of the state city of Daugavpils, has shared his reflections on social media about the air raid alert that was declared in Latgale early in the morning. According to him, residents received the warning shortly before 4 a.m., while the military used operational communication channels to inform city mayors, who then activated civil defense commission staff.

At the same time, social media users reported possible explosions. Elksniņš said that fighter jets were scrambled and air defense forces were reinforced around major populated areas. He described how, at almost 4 a.m., his family, including the youngest child, had to go to the corridor, with the parent trying to reassure the child that everything was under control.

The mayor also had to inform city residents that the situation was being managed. After the military neutralized the drone, the alert was lifted, and checks followed to determine whether the drone had been over the city and whether any damage had been caused. Elksniņš admitted that after such an adrenaline rush, it was hard to fall asleep again, and that was when he thought about the ministers responsible for Latgale's funding.

“You start thinking that this is happening here, but somewhere out there the ministers who are responsible for the money for Latgale are sleeping!” he wrote. He went on to criticize how the funding allocated for Latgale is distributed, comparing it to a game in which the “mafia” divides the money after waking up. In his view, the money intended for Latgale is shared among everyone and, first of all, among themselves. He also said some politicians “want to be Latgale,” “call themselves Latgale,” and believe that the whole of Latvia is one big Latgale.

In conclusion, Elksniņš expressed dissatisfaction with what he sees as unequal treatment of the region: “When there are problems – it's on you! When it comes to dividing money and projects – it's not safe with you! And it turns out there are two boats!” He published his post after the morning air alert, linking the nightly events to broader criticism of the state's approach to regional funding.