On 9 October, President Edgars Rinkēvičs chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at the Riga Castle. The meeting focused on the analysis of actions taken in relation to the crash of a Russian military-grade unmanned aerial vehicle in Gaigalava parish, Rēzekne municipality, on 7 September. The discussion covered the mistakes made and measures to be implemented in case of similar future incidents within Latvian airspace.
The National Security Council received reports from the Ministry of Defence, the National Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, and the State Border Guard on the lessons learned and measures taken in relation to the Russian military-grade UAV that crashed on the territory of Latvia.
The Council evaluated the immediate steps undertaken to deploy additional air defence systems (radars, sensors, air defence batteries) to strengthen the security of the eastern border. Furthermore, it reviewed the action plans jointly developed by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior to more effectively counteract against the security threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles.
The meeting also discussed consultations held with NATO command structure and Allies regarding the refinement of NATO algorithms to ensure air defence against the threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Council unanimously agreed on the necessity to enhance radar coverage and detection capabilities to counter threats related to unmanned aerial vehicles.
Furthermore, the Council assessed mistakes made by responsible institutions with regard to the operational notification of state officials and institutions and coordination thereof, as well as ensuring communication with the public and municipal authorities. It was agreed that further efforts would be undertaken to address these shortcomings, and that the National Security Council would return to the review of the implementation of these actions at its next meeting.
The Council was also briefed by state security institutions on the current situation in the country.
Additionally, the Council heard a report from the Prosecutor General on the ongoing review concerning information presented in a film produced by representatives of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and respective information reported in Latvian media.