Russia handed diplomatic note over crash of Ukrainian drone in Latvia

Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that on March 25th it had summoned a Russian diplomat – not for the first time – to be handed a protest note in connection with that country's warmongering. 

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Latvia to express a categorical protest and to present a note condemning the entry of an unmanned aerial vehicle into Latvian airspace from Russian territory on the night of 25 March," said the Ministry.

While Russia was not blamed for actually sending the drone – which has now been confirmed to have been launched by Ukraine – the Ministry said "The representative of the Russian Embassy was informed that Russia, by waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, is creating unpredictable risks of security incidents across the wider region."

The talks also condemned Russia’s air strike on 24th March against civilian infrastructure in several regions of Ukraine, including the Lviv region, killing and injuring civilians and attempting to destroy UNESCO World Heritage sites.

"Latvia noted that this forms part of Russia’s barbaric attack not only on the people of Ukraine, but also on Ukraine’s deep historical and cultural roots," the Ministry said.

It was emphasised that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine constitutes a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter, and a demand to end the aggression and withdraw Russian armed forces from the entirety of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory was reiterated.