Latvian government collapses over Russia-bound Ukrainian drones

Latvia’s government collapsed after disagreements over how the Baltic country responded to stray Ukrainian drones crashing on its territory near the Russian border.

Prime minister Evika Siliņa resigned on Thursday after her coalition partner withdrew its support, plunging the Nato frontline state into political chaos only a few months ahead of scheduled parliamentary elections.

Siliņa fired defence minister Andris Sprūds at the weekend after several incidents of Ukrainian drones, seemingly en route to hit targets inside Russia, crashing in the far east of Latvia. Sprūds’s Progressive party then indicated it would no longer support the government.

“I am resigning but I am not giving up,” Siliņa said.

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Latvia’s president Edgars Rinkēvičs said he would talk to all parliamentary parties on Friday about the path ahead.

Latvia is one of Nato’s most important frontline states, bordering both Russia and Belarus, and has been increasing its defence spending dramatically. It is forecast to come close to Nato’s 2035 target of spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence already this year as it seeks to deter Moscow.

The Latvian government has poured significant resources into drone warfare, backing multiple start-ups for both offensive and defensive capabilities.

But it has been embarrassed by several Ukrainian drones crashing in eastern Latvia in recent months, as they also have done in neighbouring Estonia and Lithuania.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has blamed Russian electronic interference for the crashes, which have exacerbated tensions between Kiev and the Baltic states, who have criticised president Volodymyr Zelenskiy for warning that Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania might be the next military target of Moscow.

Siliņa said at the weekend that Sprūds had lost her and the public’s trust by not deploying anti-drone equipment fast enough, and proposed replacing him with a professional military officer.

Both Rinkēvičs and former presidents have warned that Latvia can ill-afford political chaos at a time when worries about Russian president Vladimir Putin’s intentions towards testing Nato are once again rising in frontline states.

Several Baltic diplomats have warned that Putin could be tempted to step up his provocations while US president Donald Trump is in office and before other European countries increase their own defence spending.