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Ukrainian Drone Crash Sparks NATO Intercept, Latvian Government Collapse

5/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

NATO’s Air Police scrambled fighters after a drone entered Latvia’s border zone on Sunday.
Officials confirmed the crashed drone in Samane, Lithuania was a suspected Ukrainian military drone.
Since March, stray Ukrainian drones have entered the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
The May 7 crash that sparked a fire at a Latvian storage facility prompted Prime Minister Evika Silina to dismiss her defence minister, leading to her government’s collapse on May 14.

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Story summary

NATO’s Air Police scrambled fighters after a drone entered Latvia’s border zone on Sunday.
Officials confirmed the crashed drone in Samane, Lithuania was a suspected Ukrainian military drone.
Since March, stray Ukrainian drones have entered the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
The May 7 crash that sparked a fire at a Latvian storage facility prompted Prime Minister Evika Silina to dismiss her defence minister, leading to her government’s collapse on May 14.