Prime Minister Evika Silina went public on Sunday with a blunt verdict. The defence minister had “lost my trust and that of the public,” she said, and she had asked him to go. By the end of May 10, Andris Spruds had resigned.
The cause was a drone episode earlier in the week. Two Ukrainian drones had been diverted from their targets in Russia, flown into Latvian airspace and hit oil storage facilities.
“The drone incident that occurred this week clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defense sector has failed to fulfill its promise of safe skies over our country,” Silina said. She named Colonel Raivis Melnis as Latvia’s new defence minister.
Spruds’ explanation
Spruds framed his exit as protection for the armed forces. “Today I have made the decision to step down from the position of Minister of Defense in order to protect the Latvian army from being dragged into a political campaign,” he said.
He noted that Latvia had dealt with several serious drone incidents in recent weeks. “Unauthorized drones should not pose a threat to public safety,” he said, adding that the defence sector “has done and will continue to do much to protect the country’s airspace and ensure a sense of security for citizens.”
Kyiv blames Russian jamming
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had spoken with his Latvian counterpart, Baiba Braze. His explanation was that the drones never meant to go near Latvia. “The investigations proved that this was the result of Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia,” he said.
Sybiha offered help to prevent a repeat. “I reaffirmed Ukraine’s willingness to work together with Baltic nations and Finland to prevent such incidents, including with the direct involvement of our specialists,” he said. He listed two goals: countering Russian aggression and degrading Russia’s war machine, and helping strengthen the protection of the airspace of Ukraine’s friends in the region.
