oundup: European countries alerted on reported entry of Russian drones

VILNIUS/BELGRADE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian and Romanian military have reported entries of Russian drones in their respective airspace, prompting calls for strengthened security in the Baltic countries.

The Latvian Defense Ministry reported an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the Rezekne region of Latvia on Saturday. Citing initial data, the ministry said it was a Russian drone of military significance. The National Armed Forces (NBS) said the drown had flown into Latvian airspace from Belarus.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said that a representative of the Russian Embassy had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said the situation confirmed the need to strengthen the country's eastern border, including "the development of air defense capabilities and electronic warfare capabilities."

Also on Saturday, the Romanian military said they found a Russian drone on its radar systems. Local media said two fighter jets from the Romanian Air Force were deployed to monitor the situation, tracking the drone until it left Romanian airspace.

Initial reports suggested the drone may have crashed in an uninhabited area near the town of Periprava, in eastern Romania, prompting ongoing investigations by Romanian defense forces.

In response to the reported entry of a drone into its neighboring country, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for reinforced air defense in the Baltic countries, the Baltic News Service reported on Monday.

On Sunday, the president stressed the need to strengthen the air defense of the Baltic States on his X account. "The rotational model of air defense must be adapted as agreed at the NATO summit in Vilnius," he said.

Russia has not yet made a statement on the matter.

However, drone attacks have been frequent in the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sept. 1 that its air defense has intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions over the past night. On Aug. 27, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia attacked Ukraine with 81 Shahed combat drones in two days.