As reported, the unmanned aerial vehicle that fell on September 7 in Gaigalava parish of Rēzekne region was a “Shahed” type drone equipped with explosives, the leadership of the National Armed Forces (NBS) announced at a press conference on Monday.
After the fall, the NBS deactivated the drone, and an in-depth analysis of it is currently underway. After landing, the drone’s warhead had not exploded. After the analysis, it will also be possible to find out whether Western parts were used to construct the drone.
According to the NBS management, the information obtained so far shows that the drone’s arrival in Latvia cannot be regarded as an open military escalation against Latvia and that the target of the drone was not Latvia. During the entire incident, the Latvian Defense Forces monitored the situation in cooperation with NATO partners. The drone had arrived in Latvia from Belarus.
When asked what testified that the drone was not hostile to Latvia, the NBS commander Leonids Kalniņš replied that no open escalation was detected, moreover, monitoring the situation does not mean that the drone was detected only at the place of fall. At the same time, there was extensive information provided by foreign partners, and taking into account the analysis of the received information, the NBS concluded that the aircraft was not deliberately aimed at Latvia.
The NBS commander did not comment on how much explosive the drone had moved, and what the consequences would be if it had fallen on a residential building. At the same time, everyone can see the parallels with what is happening when Russia uses these aircraft in the war in Ukraine.
Asked to clarify why the aircraft was not shot down, the NBS commander replied that the NBS monitored the situation from the very beginning, when the aircraft was spotted in a neighboring country. There are procedures in place to make a decision to destroy a flying object, and these procedures include that the NBS must be fully satisfied that it is not a civilian object, such as a hang glider. At the same time, you must be sure that this object complies with the destruction procedure.
There are also other possibilities, such as the forced landing of an aircraft or the use of electronic warfare methods. Latvia has electronic warfare tools at its disposal, but in general they are still in the development stage in the world, and the Latvian border defense does not have many of these devices at its disposal, Kalniņš pointed out. “We don’t shoot right or left on the border. There have been cases when Belarusian aircraft have entered Latvia unintentionally,” emphasized the NBS commander.
When asked if the specific “Shahed” would have been shot down if it had moved towards a populated area, the NBS commander answered that it was a hypothetical question, and he repeated the already mentioned that the activity of the NBS is regulated according to the procedure. When asked at what moment NBS realized that the flying object was a drone with a warhead, Kalniņš answered that it was sensitive information.
Commenting on the possibilities of anti-aircraft defense to shoot down such an aircraft, the NBS commander stated that Latvia, together with its NATO allies, has capabilities that ensure the fulfillment of the tasks in accordance with the existing procedures. At the same time, Latvia has concluded contracts for more effective air defense capabilities and is waiting for deliveries. “To say that today we have 100 percent everything, I would not like to say that,” added Kalniņš.
Taking into account that the war in Ukraine is not over, it cannot be said at the moment that such situations will not be repeated in the future, Kalniņš pointed out.
The commander of the Air Force, Colonel Viesturs Masulis, informed that, despite the airspace surveillance system, low-flying and small-sized drones are difficult to spot.
Also, Masulis informed that, taking into account this incident, NBS has taken appropriate measures and sent additional units to the border in order to further strengthen air defense capabilities and response.
“The drone did not have malicious purposes, the drone was intended for Russian attacks on Ukraine, and we must additionally investigate and see how the drone went astray and “drifted” in our direction,” Masulis emphasized.
Speaking about the possibilities of launching NATO patrol planes in such cases, Masulis pointed out that there are several criteria that must be met for the use of NATO planes. In this case, all the necessary criteria were not met, but Masulis is not allowed to comment in more detail.
Minister of Defense Andris Spruds (P) announced at a press conference that in response to the downing of a Russian drone in Rēzekne district, Latvia is strengthening and will strengthen air defense on the eastern border.
The minister added that low-flying aircraft pose challenges as they are difficult to spot and shoot down. This can be seen both in Poland and Romania, as well as in Israel.
Sprud said that the drone was aimed at Ukraine, therefore it can be considered that it was aimed at a democratic and free society.
Speaking about the next steps, Sprud said that a note will be issued to the Russian side. Also, in the negotiations with NATO partners, Latvia will encourage the strengthening of air defense operativeness and air patrolling operativeness, which means that air defense systems must be strengthened on the eastern flank. At the same time, Latvia will continue to implement layered air defense.
Source: www.diena.lv
