Platonov was fighting in the areas near the village of Novoiehorivka in the largely Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast as part of the Ukrainian military's International Legion, composed of mostly foreign volunteers who came to fight, according to the Latvian Armed Forces.
As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine nears its fourth year, a worsening battlefield situation and the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency signal that the war could soon be entering a volatile and unpredictable endgame. In anticipation of a potential Trump-negotiated ceasefire, Kyiv is looking to
Latvia will transfer over 1,000 "combat drones of various types" to Ukraine through the international drone coalition, the country's Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced on social media on Dec. 28.
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze to look back at 2024 and discuss the country’s support for Ukraine amid political uncertainty before the inauguration of Donald Trump in the U.S. and Russia’s gains on the frontline.
While the Latvian Defense Ministry said that the drills are "not related to changes in the security environment," the exercises take place amid surging tensions between NATO and Russia.
An allied initiative, co-headed by the U.K. and Latvia, was launched in January to bolster Ukraine's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which became a crucial capability on the battlefield. Nearly 20 countries joined the coalition as of late November.
Ukraine will have the second-strongest military in NATO on the European continent once it joins the alliance, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said on Oct. 1.
Speaking at a meeting of the Bucharest Nine (B9) format, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar called for "enforcing the rotational air defense and integrated anti-missile model as soon as possible."
“Russian intelligence is everywhere. And its propaganda is everywhere, not only in Estonia but all over the world,” Estonian President Alar Karis told the Kyiv Independent during an interview on the sidelines of the 20th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference in Kyiv. Russia has been actively meddling in the
Latvia will provide Ukraine with an unspecified number of CVR(T) armored vehicles previously purchased from the U.K., the Delfi outlet reported on Sept. 15, citing the Latvian Defense Ministry.
A Russian drone with an armed warhead crashes in Latvia after crossing Belarus. Minsk officially confirmed the downing of a drone in its airspace, as reported by Belarusian Hajun monitoring group. Poland issued arrest warrants for 3 Belarusian officials accused of orchestrating the 2021 forced landing of a commercial Ryanair
Riga will give Ukraine a new aid package that will include armored personnel carriers, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Sept. 11.
Key developments on Sept. 9: * Russia claims capture of town near Pokrovsk, Kyiv says fighting ongoing in the area * Sweden includes Gripen jet spare parts in new $443 million military aid package for Ukraine * Latvia confirms Russian Shahed drone armed with explosive crashed on its territory * Iran denies sending ballistic
The charge d'affaires "was requested to provide a comprehensive explanation of the incident, in which an unmanned aerial vehicle illegally violated Latvia's airspace while also carrying explosives," the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.
A Russian Shahed-type drone equipped with an explosive crashed in Latvia on Sept. 7, Latvia's Defense Ministry confirmed during a press conference on Sept. 9.
Ukrainian tennis star Lyudmyla Kichenok won her first major title with Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Sept. 6, winning in two sets in the women's doubles final at the U.S. Open.
"And Ukrainians have been very, very careful and very, very diligent in not going after civilians (in Kursk Oblast), in not doing what Russians have been doing on the Ukrainian territory. This is the normal military counteractions, so this counteroffensive, in our view, is also covered by the right of self-defense," Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said.
Editor’s note: The transcript of this interview has been edited for clarity. Latvia has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the start of the all-out war. Sharing a border with both Russia and its ally Belarus, the small Baltic country understands Ukraine’s struggle all too well. As
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Latvia’s Defense Minister Andris Spruds discussed front-line developments and strengthening the Drone Coalition, which has united nearly 20 countries so far.
In a post on X, Defense Minister Andris Spruds said the latest shipment consists of 1,400 drones, and it marked the conclusion of a program between the country's defense ministry and Latvian manufacturers that had procured 2,700 drones in total.
The drones, provided in the framework of the international drone coalition, will “provide support for Ukrainians in various combat missions,” the minister said in his post on X.
The German and Swedish air forces scrambled NATO jets on Aug. 3 after two Russian jets were detected heading toward Latvian airspace over the Baltic Sea.
Czechia joined the drone coalition for Ukraine led by Latvia and the U.K. after its delegation signed a memorandum of understanding during the NATO summit in Washington, the Latvian Defense Ministry announced on July 22.
Riga has prepared a batch of more than 500 drones to be sent to Ukraine, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said on July 22. Earlier this month, Riga announced it would send more than 2,500 combat drones of different types to Ukraine in July, worth 4 million euros ($4.3 million).
Lithuanian operator Litgrid, Latvian AST, and Estonian Elering informed the Russian and Belarusian operators that they would not extend the BRELL agreement, which expires in February 2025, LRT said.
Riga will send more than 2,500 different types of combat drones to Ukraine this month, worth 4 million euros ($4.3 million), the Latvian Defense Ministry announced on July 5.
Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania called on the European Union to build a line of defense along the bloc's border with Russia and Belarus to protect the EU from military threats and other harmful actions from Moscow.
The Latvian government has allocated 10 million euros ($10.7 million) from contingency funds to reinforce defenses on the country's eastern border, Latvia's Defense Ministry reported on June 18.
Latvia has already dispatched the first batch of drones to Ukraine and is preparing a second one, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said in an interview with ArmyInform published on June 17.
The Baltic nations initially aimed to join the European system by the end of 2025. However, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they advanced the timeline by nearly a year.
The Latvian government will invest around 20 million euros ($22 million) in the drone coalition for Ukraine this year, the public broadcaster LSM reported on May 27, citing the country's defense minister, Andris Spruds.
Russia's recent gains in Kharkiv Oblast are a direct consequence of Kyiv's partners not allowing strikes on military targets inside Russia with Western-supplied arms, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told CNN on May 27.
(Updated: )
