Published

Europe23 May, 20262 min read

Suspected Drone Explodes After Crashing Into Lake Drīdzis Near Belarus Border in Latvia

A drone crashed into Lake Drīdzis in Latvia near the Belarus border and exploded on impact. Latvian authorities reported no injuries or casualties.

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Suspected Drone Explodes After Crashing Into Lake Drīdzis Near Belarus Border in Latvia
Image: Українські Національні Новини (УНН)

Latvia drone in lake

A suspected drone exploded after crashing into Lake Drīdzis in eastern Latvia near the border with Belarus, prompting an investigation as Latvian authorities reported a growing number of aerial incursions linked to the war in Ukraine. Latvian police received reports of the incident at around 08:00 local time on Saturday, and officials said wreckage believed to be from a drone was later found in the water. The Latvian Armed Forces and other responders were involved in operations after the crash, and UNN reported that there were no casualties or fatalities as a result of the explosion.

Outgoing Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said she was in contact with agencies in the Krāslava region after the incident, which occurred about 20 km from the Belarusian border and 100 km from Russia. An eyewitness fishing at the lake, Vadims Stepanovs, described seeing the object flying low before it lost power and plunged into the water and exploded.

Image from 20 Minutes
Image: 20 Minutes
Reporting for this sectionTVP World

Sensors, no alert

Officials said military sensors had not detected any drones entering Latvia’s airspace and therefore no mobile emergency alert was issued to residents, public broadcaster LSM reported. LSM quoted Māris Tūtins, Head of the Information Analysis and Management Department of the NAF Joint Staff, saying, "The sensor information was not sufficient to activate the cellular broadcast," after the crash and explosion of an unmanned aerial vehicle in the lake. UNN similarly described the incident as a drone crash into Lake Drīdzis in the Krāslava Municipality of Latvia, with possible wreckage of an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered at the scene.

The incident triggered criminal proceedings, with LSM reporting that "Criminal proceedings have been initiated into the incident" under Chapter 10 of the Criminal Law - crimes against the state. Residents were urged to stay away from the site and immediately report any other possible drone remains to the police as search operations continued across the lake area.

Image from AeroTime
Image: AeroTime
Reporting for this sectionLSM

Regional tensions and politics

The crash in Latvia came as the Baltic states, close allies of Ukraine and members of NATO, have reported repeated incursions in recent days by Ukrainian drones deployed against distant targets in Russia, while NATO countries blame Russia for the drone incursions. TVP World reported that NATO countries blame Russia for the drone incursions while Moscow accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks from within the Baltic states, using NATO airspace as cover, an allegation denied by Kyiv and the alliance. UNN added that, according to preliminary data, the aircraft arrived from the territory of Belarus, and it also described a separate sequence of resignations tied to earlier drone incidents.

In Latvia, the political fallout included the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, which UNN linked to the crash of two Ukrainian drones that had flown from Russia onto oil depots. In parallel, Inbox.eu reported that Estonian MP Marko Mihkelson called the Latvia-Belarus border the "most unsettled place" among the Baltic states, citing more than 50 illegal migrants attempted to cross from Belarus into Latvia in the first half of the day.

Reporting for this sectionTVP WorldInbox.eu