Russia’s spy agency accuses Latvia of aiding Ukrainian drone strikes amid rising Baltic tensions

Russia’s foreign intelligence agency has accused Ukraine of planning to launch drone attacks on Russian territory from neighbouring Latvia, a claim that Latvian officials swiftly rejected as disinformation amid heightened regional tensions linked to the war in Ukraine. In a statement issued on Tuesday (May 19), Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, known as the SVR, alleged that the Ukrainian military intended to use Latvian territory as a base for drone strikes targeting Russia. The agency claimed that Latvia’s government had agreed to allow Ukrainian forces to operate from within the Baltic nation despite concerns over possible retaliation from Moscow.

“The primitive Russophobia of Latvia’s current rulers proved stronger than their capacity for critical thinking or their sense of self-preservation,” the SVR said in its statement. The Russian agency further alleged that Ukrainian drone unit personnel had already been deployed to five Latvian military bases. It also issued what appeared to be a warning to Riga, saying that the locations of Latvia’s “decision-making centres are well-known” to Moscow and that the country’s NATO membership “will not protect the accomplices of terrorists from just retribution”.

Latvia strongly denied the allegations, with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže accusing Russia of spreading false information. “Russia lies again,” Braže wrote on X. “Latvia does NOT provide airspace for attacks on Russia. That has been explained several times to Russian representatives.”

The accusations come amid rising concerns in the Baltic region over the spillover effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022. Several Russian and Ukrainian drones have previously crashed in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia during the course of the conflict. According to Latvian authorities, drone crashes reported in late March and early May caused some material damage but did not result in injuries.