Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has resigned following a political crisis triggered by stray Ukrainian drones entering Latvian airspace. According to multiple reports, the incident occurred on May 7th when two suspected Ukrainian drones crashed in eastern Latvia. One drone struck an empty oil product storage facility near the town of Rezekne, while another crashed to the ground.
Key Takeaways
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned following a political crisis triggered by stray Ukrainian drones entering Latvian airspace. The incident involved two suspected Ukrainian drones crashing in eastern Latvia, with one striking an empty oil product storage facility near Rezekne.
- Two Ukrainian drones crashed in eastern Latvia on May 7th
- Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned after her governing coalition collapsed
- President Edgars Rinkevics proposed opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs as the next prime minister
- The political fallout was triggered by the incursion of three drones into Latvian airspace
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to send experts to Latvia to help boost its air defenses
Silina fired Defense Minister Andris Spruds last week over his handling of the incident and appointed a replacement. However, Spruds's Progressives party withdrew their support from Silina's governing coalition in protest, causing it to collapse months before the planned general election in October. The political fallout was triggered by the incursion of three drones into Latvian airspace on May 7th, with both Latvia and Ukraine acknowledging that the drones may have been Ukrainian UAVs intended for Russia but had their signals jammed.
Local residents reported to media outlets that the official response to the incident had been delayed and insufficient. They noted that the cell broadcast alert system was not activated for an hour after one of the drones crashed near Rezekne. Silina stated, 'Something went wrong. We cannot afford for this situation to continue.' She also mentioned that Spruds's resignation was due to broader issues in the Latvian defense sector.
President Edgars Rinkevics proposed opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs as the next prime minister after Evika Silina resigned. 'Considering recent events, I think the new prime minister should come from opposition parties,' Rinkevics told a press conference on Saturday. Kulbergs, from United List of smaller parties—the largest opposition bloc in parliament—will take office if lawmakers approve him and his cabinet.
Silina dismissed Defence Minister Andris Spruds last weekend after two Ukrainian drones strayed into Latvia from Russia and exploded at an oil storage facility, the latest in a series of such incidents in NATO members Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. The Latvian army said it failed to detect the drones as they crossed from Russia. Silina blamed Spruds for not developing anti-drone systems quickly enough.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to send Ukrainian experts to Latvia to help boost its air defenses after speaking with Rinkevics at a summit in Romania on Wednesday. Kulbergs expressed hope to create an 'enlarged coalition' to administer Latvia until parliamentary elections are held on October 3.
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