Amid the drone crisis: Latvia’s prime minister has resigned
14 May 15:24
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has resigned amid a government crisis that erupted following an incident involving drones in the country’s airspace. The entire government is stepping down with her, according to a report by the Latvian broadcaster LSM on Thursday, May 14, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
“I am resigning, but I am not giving up or walking away. New Unity and I will continue to fulfill the promises made to the people of Latvia and to everyone with whom we have defended European values,” Silina said at a press briefing.
She accused her opponents of “political jealousy and narrow party interests” that have taken precedence over responsibility.
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“Faced with a strong candidate for the post of defense minister, political windbags chose a crisis—a government crisis,” the former prime minister added.
The day before, on May 13, two of the three parties in the ruling coalition—the “Union of Greens and Farmers” and “Progressives”—stated that the government had effectively lost its ability to function, and the Saeima was set to consider a motion of no confidence in the cabinet on May 14.
Political crisis in Latvia following drone attacks
The political crisis in Latvia began after two drones flew into the country’s airspace from Russia on the night of May 7. One of the crashed drones landed in empty tanks at an oil depot in the city of Rēzekne. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga later stated that Ukrainian UAVs had strayed into Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare systems, which “deliberately diverted Ukrainian drones from their targets on Russian territory.”
On May 10, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds, a member of the “Progressives” party, resigned. He stated that he had decided to step down from his post “to protect the Latvian army from being drawn into a political campaign.” Silina subsequently said that Spruds had lost public trust. According to her, the drone incident showed that the defense leadership “failed to fulfill its promise of a secure sky.” The position of defense minister was offered to Colonel Raivis Melnis, who accepted.
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