Latvian Defense Minister resigns following drone infiltration of airspace
[56444] Latvian Defense Minister resigns following drone infiltration of airspace
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds has resigned from his position following a failure in the country's air defense after the infiltration of drones arriving from the direction of Russia.
Resignation of the Latvian Defense Minister against the backdrop of drone incidents
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds has announced his resignation from his post following failures in the country's air defense. The incident occurred after two drones, which reportedly arrived from the direction of Russia, entered Latvian airspace on May 8 and struck oil storage facilities, according to reports in Ukraine NOW and Radio Svoboda.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa demanded his resignation, claiming that anti-drone defense systems were not deployed quickly enough and that the security leadership failed to uphold its promise of "safe skies over our country." According to a report in Operatyvnyi ZSU, Siliņa noted that Sprūds had lost the trust of the government and the public.
Sprūds himself stated that he takes responsibility for the events, but claimed his decision was intended to "protect the Latvian military from being dragged into a political campaign," as quoted in Censor.NET and Toronto Television. The outgoing minister hinted that the situation surrounding the drones had become a focus for political manipulation.
Latvian Army Colonel Raivis Melnis has been appointed to the position of Minister of Defense in place of Sprūds, as reported in hromadske and 24 Kanal. While most Ukrainian sources covering the event highlighted the minister's failure to protect the airspace, some sources, including UKRAINIAN MILITANT, expressed satisfaction with the move, claiming that the outgoing minister had problematic, pro-Russian ties.