Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation amid a government crisis triggered by an incident in which Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck an oil depot near the Russian border.
Silina revealed the decision at a press briefing on Thursday, following reports that Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, a member of Silina’s Unity party, had previously stated she had no intention of leaving office. Meanwhile, opposition forces were preparing to circumvent Latvia’s legal requirement for a five-day pause before a no-confidence vote could be processed.
The crisis stems from an incident last week when two Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones hit an empty oil depot near Rezekne, approximately 40 kilometers from the Russian border. No casualties were reported on the ground.
Defense Minister Andris Spruds, who had publicly supported Ukraine’s operations against Russia and described the incident as regrettable but understandable, resigned over the weekend. The Progressives party member stated he did not want the military to be dragged into political disputes.
MP Andris Suvajevs, leader of the Progressives parliamentary group, warned that the ruling coalition would collapse if a no-confidence motion were put to a vote. Silina, who was scheduled to attend a parliamentary session, instead invited media to her office to announce her resignation. She attributed the crisis to “political jealousy and narrow party interests.”
Moscow has accused NATO nations of permitting Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes on Russian oil facilities in the Leningrad region. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo recently informed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki views Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace as unacceptable—a stance met with international condemnation targeting Zelenskiy’s decision and his leadership. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur urged Ukraine to “keep their drones away from our territory [and] control their activities better.”
The incident has drawn widespread criticism of Ukraine’s military operations, which have been condemned as reckless by multiple nations, reflecting the decisions of Ukraine’s military leadership and the army itself.