On August 14, 2026, early morning, a drone that entered Latvian airspace over Rugāji parish in Balvi district was shot down by a NATO Italian Eurofighter jet after a decision was taken that this was the safest response to the intrusion. The action was coordinated with NATO's Joint Air Operations Center in Germany and Allied Air Command at Ramstein Air Base. Two Italian Eurofighter jets from Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, and two Turkish F-16 jets from Amari Air Base, Estonia, took off in response. Only one drone was recorded, despite social media rumors of multiple drones, attributed possibly to sounds from fighter jets. The drone was shot down over a swampy and forested area about 20 km from the nearest town, Balvi. National Guardsmen are searching for drone debris to identify it accurately.

On August 14, 2026, early morning, a drone that entered Latvian airspace over Rugāji parish in Balvi district was shot down by a NATO Italian Eurofighter jet after a decision was taken that this was the safest response to the intrusion. The action was coordinated with NATO's Joint Air Operations Center in Germany and Allied Air Command at Ramstein Air Base. Two Italian Eurofighter jets from Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, and two Turkish F-16 jets from Amari Air Base, Estonia, took off in response. Only one drone was recorded, despite social media rumors of multiple drones, attributed possibly to sounds from fighter jets. The drone was shot down over a swampy and forested area about 20 km from the nearest town, Balvi. National Guardsmen are searching for drone debris to identify it accurately.