Latvian Government Collapses After Ukrainian Drones Crash Into Rezekne Fuel Depot

Prime Minister Evika Silina announced her resignation on May 14, 2026, ahead of a vote of no confidence in parliament that brought down the Latvian government. The announcement came four days after she fired Defense Minister Andris Spruds, accusing him of failing to protect the country from intrusions.

Two Ukrainian drones had crashed into a fuel depot in the city of Rezekne, in eastern Latvia, on May 7.

Silina, a member of the New Unity party, had been appointed prime minister on September 15, 2023. She previously led a coalition government with The Progressives, a Social Democratic party, and the Union of Greens and Farmers. Andris Spruds, who resigned on May 10, belongs to The Progressives.

Coalition partners blamed Silina for triggering the crisis by demanding the defense minister's resignation after several drones crashed on Latvian territory. They also criticized her decision to appoint Colonel Raivis Melnis, previously the defense ministry's representative in Kyiv, as the new defense minister without consulting them. " She appointed Melnis after Spruds stepped down.

She criticized "the smooth talkers of politics [who] have chosen to provoke a government crisis" less than five months before the legislative elections scheduled for October 3, 2026. The political crisis unfolded rapidly after the May 7 drone incident in Rezekne.

Silina had been photographed in Nicosia, Cyprus, on April 24, 2026, weeks before the events that led to the government's collapse. Le Monde reported the sequence of events, including the drone crash, the ministerial resignation and firing, Silina's own departure, and the competing accusations within the former coalition.

The report detailed how the prime minister's actions brought down a government that had been in place since her appointment in September 2023.