Russian Drone Damages Oil Depot Tanks in Latvia

A drone that crossed from Russia into Latvia damaged fuel storage tanks at an oil depot in the city of Rēzekne, about 40 kilometers from the border.

According to LSM, air raid alerts were issued early Thursday in the Balvi, Ludza, and Rēzekne regions after two drones violated Latvian airspace.

Residents reported hearing engines overhead and seeing flashes and blasts similar to explosions.

Police said one of the drones later crashed at an oil depot in Rēzekne operated by East-West Transit. It hit an empty fuel storage tank.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze caused by the drone explosion at the scene and are continuing efforts to cool one of the storage tanks.

The State Fire and Rescue Service said thermal imaging inspections of the tanks found no signs of elevated temperatures.

Preliminary reports indicate that four oil storage tanks were damaged in the drone explosion. The tanks were empty and contained no petroleum products.

Meanwhile, the location where the second drone that entered Latvia from Russia crashed has not yet been determined.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds stated that the drones may have been launched from Ukraine toward targets in Russia, but emphasized that this is only an initial assumption and still needs to be confirmed.

In March, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Russia was deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones toward Baltic countries using electronic warfare systems.

According to him, such incidents are later used as part of information provocations.