Latvia sends mobile intercept units to Russian border in wake of drone incursions

RIGA, Latvia — Latvia will deploy mobile drone-interceptor units to its eastern border within a matter of days in response to a string of drone incursions from the direction of Russia, according to the head of the Baltic country’s Autonomous Systems Competence Center.The Latvian armed forces will deploy teams up to four soldiers in 4x4 vehicles, equipped with interceptor drones from Latvian manufacturers Origin Robotics and Eraser, to the eastern border with Russia, said Maj. Modris Kairišs, head of the center, in a briefing with reporters here on May 26. The goal is to have the units operational by early next month, he said.Low-altitude drone defense has become one of the most critical security gaps for Latvia and neighboring Lithuania and Estonia amid a growing number of drone incursions from the direction of Russia. Independent Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe counted at least 24 drone incidents in the three Baltic countries since early 2025.“The force teams we plan to deploy to the border in the coming days will be equipped with local interceptor drones,” Kairišs said, adding that the number of teams to be deployed is confidential.Latvia’s government collapsed this month in the wake of a renewed incursion of Ukrainian drones into the country’s airspace, with two drones crashing in Latvian territory on May 7, including one that hit an empty fuel depot, and a third drone entering the country’s airspace before leaving again. Kairišs said Russia is using “very powerful” jamming to disrupt navigation of Ukrainian drones.“At least if we will send these initial teams, it will solve the society requirements, politicians’ requirements, and we are moving forward,” Kairišs told Defense News. “Let’s say it is initial capability. We need a lot of teams to fully cover the border.”Ukraine has been using mobile fire teams to defeat Russian drone threats since 2022, though the country has increasingly shifted to interceptor drones.Interceptor teams are not a long-term a