On May 10, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced his resignation after a series of incidents with drones in the country's airspace. This was reported by LSM.
In Latvia, Spruds’ resignation was previously initiated after the incident with Ukrainian drones; in particular, the country’s Seimas considered this issue on April 1, but parliamentarians did not support this idea.
Now, according to the politician, he is leaving his post in order to “protect the Latvian army from being drawn into a political campaign.”
Spruds said Latvia has experienced serious drone incidents in recent days, which he said should not threaten the safety of the population. At the same time, he emphasized that the country’s defense sector “has done a lot” to protect the airspace, and the Latvian army, together with its allies, is ready to defend the state.
He also announced an alleged “systemic political campaign” against the Progressives party, which he represents. According to Spruds, certain political forces are trying to use the topic of security and drones in the political struggle.
“This is happening on different fronts and in different formats. The reason is simple: the “progressives” do not fit into the old formats and the old party system,” the official said.
In addition, he criticized Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. The day before, she said that the minister had lost the trust of society and the government, and announced her intention to demand his resignation. Spruds responds by claiming that the head of government did not personally warn him about this decision.
Against the backdrop of recent incidents in Latvia, the alarm was announced several times due to drones near the border. One of the drones fell on the territory of an oil depot in Rezekne, and law enforcement officers were looking for another drone. Previously, the country also recorded the fall of drones, in particular a Ukrainian drone and a Russian Shahed-type drone.
