Latvian Defence Minister survives drone debate and confidence vote
The vote of no confidence in Sprūds was supported by 43 MPs – mostly from opposition factions but also the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Igors Rajevs, an independent MP who is nominally a government supporter and who is sometimes described by some people as a defence expert.
Meanwhile 50 MPs rejected the notion that Sprūds should resign, and one member, independent Andrejs Ceļapīters, abstained from the vote.
The draft resolution submitted by LPV on expressing no confidence in Sprūds was based on "the inability to ensure the security of Latvian airspace and effective management of the Ministry of Defence in critical circumstances."
The resignation request stated that Minister Sprūds, despite publicly promising in 2024 to improve the country's defence capabilities, has failed to ensure the inviolability of Latvia's airspace within a year and a half.
Arguably the motion was somewhat opportunistic given the apparent inability of every other country in the world to ensure the inviolability of its airspace, as evidenced by the current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Sprūds had come to the Saeima session to listen to the deputies' debates and answer questions, but the debate quickly wandered off the specific topic in hand and onto more general questions of eastern border security, civil defence policy, and defence sector procurement.
LPV MP Ramona Petraviča said: "The resignation request for Defence Minister Andris Sprūds is not a personal issue. It is a matter of national security. We are talking about a systematic failure to protect Latvian airspace, the practical absence of civil defence, the lack of shelters, unclear and delayed procurement, disproportionate and non-existent priorities, and the fact that our defence system is not ready for even basic crises."
Meanwhile, Saeima MP Edvards Smiltēns (United List) said he wasn't going to talk about what was discussed in recent crisis meetings, and then proceeded to talk about them.
"I can't talk about what we talked about in the meetings that took place after this drone incident. I can only say that we returned to the same issues that we talked about after the [previous] Gaigalava drone [incident in 2024]. Was communication with the public timely? ... How can there be timely communication if there was no communication at that time at all? Where was the "112" application? Where were the sirens, even in Dagda? Where was the cellphone coverage in that case? There were only messages in "WhatsApp" groups from [Saeima member Juris] Viļums, from his neighbours, from the residents of Latgale about the fact that, you see, drones are flying here."
Sprūds took to the Saeima rostrum to respond to the criticism leveled by the deputies, saying:
"You can ask any defence minister - they won't hand out magic wands."
Sprūds reiterated that since a foreign drone crashed in Gaigalava parish in 2024, many things have been improved including acoustic detection of drones on radar systems, as well as the capabilities of the armed forces to respond to such cases. Sprūds also indicated that Latvia continues to improve its drone downing capabilities, combat units have been deployed on the border, and interceptor drones are being delivered to Latvia.
Sprūds has been the Minister of Defense since September 15, 2023.
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