French Rafale Shoots Down Apparent Ukrainian Drone Over Latvia, NATO Says Russian Electronic Warfare Responsible

A French Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone over Latvia at 10:05 local time on Monday, June 8. Latvian military officials said the foreign unmanned aerial vehicle had entered the country’s airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare. , Lithuanian military spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis told Agence France-Presse.

The aircraft were operating under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, which stations allied fighters in the region. " The military and the foreign minister both confirmed the incident. This was the first time the Baltic Air Policing mission has shot down a drone in Latvia.

French NATO jets are stationed in the Baltic states as part of the alliance’s rapid-reaction framework. A Romanian jet stationed in Lithuania previously shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia on May 19. Ukrainian drones have crashed in all three Baltic states, with local officials attributing the deviations to Russian electronic warfare measures.

On May 20, a Ukrainian drone heading toward Vilnius prompted Lithuanian authorities to issue an air alert to the general population for the first time. Residents and leaders went to bomb shelters during the alert. Several Russian drones have crashed in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Latvian, French, and NATO flags were displayed in front of a French Rafale at the Lielvarde air base in Latvia on April 14, 2026.