Latvia deploys mobile AA fire teams on eastern border after downing of Shahed drone

Latvia has deployed mobile AA fire teams near the country’s eastern borders.

Additional radars were also deployed to monitor the airspace, which can detect even small drones.

The Lithuanian Defense Ministry reported on this.

Thanks to this, the military has to counteract the entry of enemy military drones into the country.

In the Latgale region, mobile AA fire teams with air defense equipment started to be on duty around the clock.

The Defense Ministry noted that Latvia decided to strengthen its air defense on the eastern border after the downing of a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone in the Rēzekne region on September 7 to prevent such incidents.

Thanks to the deployment of the Giraffe radar, the Latvian military can now detect and track the flight path of small aircraft flying at low altitudes in the border area.

If a threat is detected, mobile AA fire teams armed with RBS 70 portable air defense missile systems will intercept the target.

The mobile AA fire teams will consist of both contractors and conscripts. This regime of enhanced airspace monitoring is being established indefinitely.

Militarnyi previously reported on the downing of a Russian drone in the Rēzekne district of Latvia. It turned out to be a Shahed kamikaze drone, which Russia is constantly attacking Ukraine with.

On the night of September 6-7, a large group of drones entered Belarus, with one reaching the Hrodna region and flying as far as Korelichi and Novogrudok, heading toward the Lithuanian border.

After the crash in Latvia, the warhead of the Russian drone was neutralized. The incident itself was reported to responsible officials, law enforcement agencies, and NATO countries in the region.