A NATO Jet Shoots Down a Drone Over Latvia as the Russia-Ukraine War Spills Across Borders

A North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) jet shot down a drone over eastern Latvia, which the military said had entered Latvian airspace because of Russian electromagnetic warfare, Deutsche Welle reported. The alliance said it was the first time one of its aircraft had downed a drone over Latvian territory, an indication of how the effects of the war are reaching further into NATO countries.

The incident was not isolated. Moldova confirmed that a Ukrainian drone exploded on its territory after flying into a border village, according to the Russian outlet BFM. Russian air defenses intercepted another drone heading toward Moscow, the city's mayor said. The Kremlin separately accused Ukraine of obstructing peace efforts after a drone attack on a Moscow-bound passenger train.

The pattern of stray and intercepted drones across borders adds a level of risk that markets have largely ignored. It comes as the United States accelerates the withdrawal of its troops from Europe, leaving European governments to address a widening security gap on their own.