Latvian PM quits over handling of stray Ukraine drones

The resignation of Latvia’s prime minister led to the collapse of the coalition government, just months before elections in October.

“I’m resigning, but I’m not giving up,” Evika Silina, prime minister since 2023, said in a televised statement on Thursday.

Silina’s centre-right government will remain caretaker until its replacement is sworn in.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, who is tasked by the constitution to elect the leader of the government, will meet with all parties in the parliament on Friday.

Silina dismissed defense minister Andris Spruds after two stray Ukrainian drones flew from Russia to Latvia and exploded at an oil storage facility; This was the latest in a series of similar incidents in NATO members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

The military chief said the drones were not detected by the Latvian military when they arrived from Russia, and Silina accused Spruds of not developing anti-drone systems fast enough.

In response, Spruds’ Progressives party withdrew its support from the Silina government on Wednesday, leaving Silina without a majority in parliament and vulnerable to a possible no-confidence motion.

Silina came to power at the head of a broad coalition after the resignation of Krisjanis Karins, also from the centre-right New Unity party, in 2023.

Ukraine will send experts to Latvia to help protect the country’s skies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.