Latvian defence minister resigns after Ukrainian drones hit oil tanks


FILE PHOTO: Latvia's Defence Minister Andris Spruds speaks during a press conference with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, in Berlin, Germany, March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben/File photo

(Corrects Ukrainian minister's ⁠title to foreign minister in paragraph ⁠4)

RIGA, May ‌10 (Reuters) - Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds resigned on Sunday, after two Ukrainian drones on Thursday flew in from ​Russia and hit oil storage ⁠facilities.

Earlier on Sunday, ⁠Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina demanded the resignation, ⁠saying ‌anti-drone systems had not been deployed fast enough. She appointed Latvian army ⁠colonel Raivis Melnis as the new defence ​minister.

Latvia ‌and Lithuania on Thursday called on NATO ⁠to boost ​air defences in their region after two drones came over the Russian border and exploded ⁠at an oil storage facility in ​Latvia.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha on Sunday said on X that the drones were Ukrainian, ⁠and flew into Latvia as a result of "Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia."

In response to the ​drone incidents, Ukraine is considering ⁠sending experts to help strengthen air security ​over the Baltic states, Sybiha ‌said on Friday.

(Reporting by ​Janis Laizans in Riga and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Ros Russell)

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