ALWAGHT- Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claims that NATO member Latvia has allowed Ukraine to use its territory for possible drone strikes against Russia.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine plans to launch drone attacks against Russia not only through air corridors provided by Baltic states but directly from the territory of NATO member Latvia. The SVR stated that Ukrainian drone operators have already been deployed to several Latvian military bases, and that Kiev persuaded Riga to agree by falsely claiming the drones' launch sites would be impossible to identify. The SVR warned that Latvia's NATO membership will not protect "accomplices of terrorists" from retribution, as the coordinates of decision-making centers on Latvian territory are well known.
Ukrainian UAVs have recently targeted northwestern Russian energy facilities, with some drones crashing in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland. On Sunday, Moscow experienced its largest drone attack in over a year, with Ukraine launching around 600 UAVs toward Russia in a single day. NATO jets were scrambled in Latvia after an unidentified drone entered its airspace. Russia retaliated against Ukraine with large-scale missile and UAV strikes. Earlier this month, a government crisis erupted in Latvia after a drone hit local oil storage facilities, leading to the dismissal of the defense minister and the prime minister's forced resignation.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and Foreign Minister Baiba Braze denied allowing Ukraine to launch attacks from Latvian territory, calling the SVR report a "disinformation campaign." Ukraine's Defense Ministry spokesman also accused the SVR of making false statements. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu warned in April that if Baltic states and Finland deliberately provide their airspace to Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow reserves the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
