Italian fighter jets shoot down drone in Latvia: ‘probably Ukrainian’
Ukraine and the United States are reportedly coordinating a package of proposals to end the conflict with Russia: a bipartisan halt to air strikes and a truce in the Black Sea are the key points, but Moscow has not responded
A drone entered Latvian airspace and was shot down by Italian Eurofighter jets. This was announced today by the Latvian armed forces.
It was probably a Ukrainian drone that had strayed off course. The news was reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
This morning, the Latvian Armed Forces announced that NATO fighter jets on patrol had successfully shot down a drone that had violated Latvian airspace following Russian electronic warfare activity. The air alert previously announced in five regions of the country was lifted at 4.50 am. “The threat to our airspace has ceased. Allied fighter jets have successfully shot down the unmanned aircraft,” the Armed Forces reported. The drone was shot down in the Balva region, in the north-east of the country. A spokeswoman for the Joint Staff of the Latvian Armed Forces told Latvian radio that the location of the wreckage is known but will not yet be disclosed. The relevant services are working at the scene. The unmanned aircraft was shot down at high altitude, so the debris may have been scattered over a considerable area.
Official statements did not mention who had launched the drone , but last night Ukrainian drones once again attacked the Russian port of Ust-Luga , near St Petersburg, the shortest route to which passes through the eastern borders of Latvia and Estonia.
US-Kyiv peace proposals
Meanwhile, Washington and Kyiv are reportedly coordinating a package of peace proposals to be put to Moscow, drawing on the ‘reality on the ground’ following months of mutual attacks between Russia and Ukraine. Yesterday, Reuters reported that Kyiv had conveyed, via a third party – likely Turkish – a proposal for a moratorium on attacks on civilians in the Black Sea. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko replied that Moscow had not received any formal proposal, implying that the communication had not followed official channels. This response suggests that an assessment is currently underway.
