A routine airspace violation quickly escalated into a NATO interception mission after an unidentified drone crossed into Latvian territory. French Rafale fighter jets deployed under NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled from Lithuania and successfully intercepted and destroyed the drone over an uninhabited area. Latvian officials later stated that the UAV entered the country due to Russian electronic warfare interference, though no direct attribution for its launch was provided. The incident comes amid a rise in drone, missile and airspace violations across NATO's eastern flank and coincides with the alliance's major Ramstein Flag 2026 military exercise. Officials confirmed there were no civilian casualties or infrastructure damage.