Kyiv: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Sunday reaffirmed Kyiv's willingness to cooperate with the Baltic states and Finland to help protect allied airspace following recent drone incidents involving Latvia. Sybiha said he discussed the incidents with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze.

According to Anadolu Agency, the investigations showed that Russian electronic warfare was responsible for deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia. The goal, as stated by Sybiha, is to ensure 'maximum safety' for Latvia, the other Baltic states, and Finland.

On May 7, Latvia lodged a formal protest with Russia after several drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia, according to Latvia's Foreign Ministry. The ministry reported that it summoned the Russian Embassy's charg© d'affaires to deliver a protest note over the incident, which involved drones entering the eastern Latvian municipalities of Rezekne, Balvi, and Ludza.

Russia described the incident as 'an attempted Ukrainian terrorist attack on civilian infrastructure' near St. Petersburg involving drones launched from the direction of Latvian airspace. Russia's Defense Ministry stated that its air defense systems detected six drones during the incident and also identified French-made Dassault Rafale and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets over Latvia. The ministry further mentioned that a Ukrainian-made An-196 Lyutyy drone entered Russian airspace and was shot down near Pskov.