Latvian defense minister resigns after drones violate country's airspace

Prefer on Google by Lucy Pakhnyuk Andris Spruds, Minister of Defense of Latvia, attends Defence24 Days at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, on May 6, 2026. (Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds resigned on May 10 after two Ukrainian drones diverted from their targets in Russia entered Latvian airspace and struck oil storage facilities earlier in the week. Prime Minister Evika Silina said earlier in the day that she had requested Spruds' resignation, saying he had lost her trust and "that of the public." "The drone incident that occurred this week clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defense sector has failed to fulfill its promise of safe skies over our country," Silina said. She also announced that Colonel Raivis Melnis would become Latvia's new defense minister. Spruds said he decided to step down to prevent the military from becoming involved in political disputes. "Today I have made the decision to step down from the position of Minister of Defence in order to protect the Latvian army from being dragged into a political campaign," he said. He added that Latvia had experienced several serious drone-related incidents in recent weeks and said the defense sector remained committed to protecting the country's airspace and public safety. "Unauthorized drones should not pose a threat to public safety," Spruds said, adding that the defense sector "has done and will continue to do much to protect the country's airspace and ensure a sense of security for citizens." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also commented on the incidents, saying he had discussed the situation with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze. "The investigations proved that this was the result of Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia ," Sybiha said. He added that Ukraine was prepared to cooperate with Latvia, other Baltic nations , and Finland to help prevent similar incidents in the future. "I reaffirmed Ukraine's willingness to work together with Baltic nations and Finland to prevent such incidents, including with the direct involvement of our specialists," he said. "Our goal is to ensure maximum safety for Latvia , other Baltic states, and Finland. First, by effectively countering Russian aggression and degrading Russia's war machine. Second, by helping to strengthen the protection of our friends' air space."