Asked whether he was satisfied with the response of the National Armed Forces (NBS) to the appearance of a drone in Latvian airspace, Sprūds said that an investigation had been launched not only into the case, but also into "whether alternatives could have been considered".
The Minister confirmed that the NBS had seen the drone's progress at night on Saturday, September 7. Asked why it was not immediately shot down as soon as it crossed Latvian airspace, Sprūds said that there were certain challenges in identifying drones.
"For low-flying and small objects, you can't immediately tell exactly what kind of drone it is. The Armed Forces acted in accordance with procedures, and as Minister of Defense I have to trust and I will trust the procedures, which include gathering information, assessing risks and threats, and taking concrete action. It was decided that this was the safest way," the Minister said.
But the inquiry, which is being carried out by the NBS but involves the whole defense sector, including the minister, will find out whether the NBS did everything appropriate to the situation or whether there could have been alternatives. An assessment should be made shortly. At the same time, we need to strengthen our capabilities. "The fight against drones is not easy," the Minister added.
"A common rotational model air defence system has to be put in place here, defense patrol has to be strengthened, not only air patrol. These are not just our issues, as there have been similar cases in Poland and Romania," Sprūds said.
Although the spokesman for the Russian embassy in Latvia said that it was not a Russian drone, Spruds stressed that Russia has lied before and "there is no thought that we will accept these words as being true".
"It is a Shahed drone, made in Russia. There is no question where it has come from," the defense minister said.
A meeting of the National Security Council has been convened Tuesday, September 10, on the incident.
The Council heard an interim report on the investigation carried out by the Ministry of Defence and the NBS and agreed on the need for the Ministry of Defence and the NBS, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, to update and develop the necessary procedures to counter the security threat posed by UAVs more effectively.
The Council agreed to accelerate the further development of the military capabilities of the NBS and the deployment of additional air defense systems to strengthen the defense of the Eastern border.
Latvian citizens are urged to remain vigilant as the Russian-led war in Ukraine continues and further incidents are possible.
A more in-depth assessment of the findings of the investigation into the incident is planned for the next Council meeting.
