Two drones from Russia crash in Latvia, army says

RIGA, May 7 – Two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russia and crashed, the Latvian army said on Thursday morning.

One of the drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Rezekne, about 40 km (25 miles) from the Russian border, said national broadcaster LSM, quoting the police.

A fire at the site was no longer burning by the time firefighters arrived, it said.

The Latvian authorities have issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4:09 a.m. local time (0109 GMT) on Thursday, asking them to stay indoors.

All schools will be closed in Rezekne on Thursday, the municipality said.

Several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its NATO neighbours Estonia and Lithuania in late March, one of which slammed into a chimney at a local power station while another crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded.

The Ukrainian drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia.

The three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia, their foreign ministers said in April. REUTERS