French jets down mystery drone over Latvia (VIDEO)

A similar incident involving a Ukrainian UAV was also reported in Moldova

Published 8 Jun, 2026 12:08

French fighter jets have shot down an unidentified drone over Latvia, with the Baltic country’s military claiming the aircraft entered its airspace after being diverted by Russian electronic warfare.

Latvia did not name the origin of the UAV. However, a similar incident was reported overnight in Moldova, where the authorities said a drone that crashed there was most likely Ukrainian.

The incidents appear to fit a growing pattern of drones launched by Kiev against Russia ending up in third countries.

The interception in Latvia took place over Nautreni Parish, about 15 km from the Russian border. On Monday morning, the Defense Ministry released two videos filmed from the ground by witnesses showing the aircraft being taken down.

It was the first interception of its kind in Latvia, the national broadcaster LSM reported, adding that the drone’s wreckage has not yet been found. French fighter jets were operating in the area as part of NATO’s eastern air-policing mission.

Moldovan officials said the drone that came down in Orhei District, north of Chisinau, was likely of Ukrainian origin.Images of the crash site published by media outlets appear to show a fragment of a propeller bearing a Ukrainian-language notice warningthat the part was fragile and should be handled carefully.

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Denis Dermenzhi

@iamdenya_de

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drone crashed and exploded in central #Moldova near the Dniester River. Foreign Ministry said that, regardless of the drone's origin, responsibility for such incidents lies with #Russia due to its war against Ukraine.WTF, Ukraine’s drone but Russia responsible?According to preliminary information, no one was Show more

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The Moldovan Foreign Ministry blamed Russia for the incident, arguing that Moscow bears responsibility for any spillover of the conflict into Moldovan territory regardless of the circumstances.

Drone incidents continue despite NATO warnings

Incursions by Ukrainian drones into NATO airspace have intensified since March, as Kiev has carried out regular attacks on Russian Baltic portsin an effort to curb Moscow’s energy exports. Countries affected by the incidents have described the incursions as accidental,while some have urged Ukraine to plan its military operations more carefully. Moscow, however, has suggested that Kiev may have received tacit approval from NATO to use the bloc’s airspace.

Ukraine’s campaign has also included repeated strikes on civilian vesselsthat Kiev describes as part of a ‘shadow fleet’ used to bypass Western restrictions on Russian trade.

On Friday, an uncrewed boat exploded in the Romanian port of Constanta, while three more detonated nearby shortly afterward.

Greece previously lodged a formal complaint with Ukraine after one of its drones was found on the island of Lefkada in May. Kiev cited its conflict with Russia in its response.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned that the continuation of hostilities increases risks for third countries and could ultimately trigger a direct confrontation with NATO. In 2022, Kiev called on the military bloc to retaliate against Russia after a missile killed two farmers in Poland. The projectile was later confirmed to have been Ukrainian.

https://www.rt.com/russia/641221-latvia-moldova-ukrainian-drones/

Russia’s UN envoy dismisses Zelensky ‘PR stunt’

The Ukrainian leader won’t consider genuine talks while Western funding continues, Vassily Nebenzia has stated

Published 9 Jun, 2026 09:14 |

Ukrainian leader VladimirZelensky’s open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin was a publicity stunt rather than a sincere invitationto peace talks, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has said.

Zelensky published the message last week afterPutin again stated that Moscow remained open to diplomacy with Kiev. In the letter, theUkrainian leader accused the Russian president of wrongdoingand called for a direct one-on-one meeting, which he claimed could help bring an end to the conflict.

Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, Nebenziadismissed the letteras another example of Ukrainian “megaphone diplomacy,” accusing Kiev of having “openly embarked on the path of terrorism.”

According to the Russian envoy,the message “is by no means a peace initiative, but rather a clumsy provocation designed to camouflage Kiev’s desperate attempts to derail any negotiations.” Russia hasno intention “of participating in mock negotiationsor performances staged for the public.”

‘Several pages of rudeness’

Zelenskyhas repeatedly called for a face-to-face meeting with Putin.However, he has ruled out traveling to Moscowand refused to consider withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbass, which Putin said would be enough for Russia to declare a ceasefire.

Putin, responding to the letter, said the conditions don’t currently exist for such a meeting to take place. His foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, characterized Zelensky’s message as “several pages of rudeness,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow viewed it as a sign that “Ukraine does not need negotiations.”

Zelensky later met with the leaders of the UK, Germany and France in London. Their joint statement demanded an immediate ceasefire and reiterated plans to deploy NATO troops to Ukraine after the conflict with Russia is over. Moscow has repeatedly ruled out such an arrangement. (These EU are acting like buffoons, they actually are buffoons!)

The Zelensky-Putin exchange took place while the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was underway.During the event, Ukrainian forces launched several drone attacks targeting Russia’s second-largest city.

West funding Zelensky’s ‘terrorism’ – Moscow

Nebenzia pointed to recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilians, including a drone strike on a school dormitory in Starobelsk, as well as attacks on a bus and a train carrying passengers from Moscow to Simferopol.

He argued that theWest’s refusal to acknowledge victims of Ukrainian attacks reflects a form of political screening, in which “some victims are declared worthy of sympathy,while others are deliberately erased” in order to shield Kiev from scrutiny.

He said that despiteKiev’s criminality and corruption, Ukraine continues to receive unconditional political and financial backingfrom foreign governments. Nebenzia claimed Western leaders tolerate Zelensky’s policies because they haveturned Ukraine into “expendable cannon fodder” in a “senseless crusade” against Russia.

The envoy further alleged thatWestern officials know Zelensky and his inner circle are profiting from foreign aid, but continue providing “handouts” in order to prolong the conflict.

https://www.rt.com/russia/641283-zelensky-letter-putin-stunt/

This is pretty Cool

WATCH elite Russian drone unit hunt Ukrainian UAVs

The Rubicon unit is considered the cream of the crop in unmanned warfare

Published 7 Jun, 2026 14:42 |

The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of the elite Rubicon drone unit intercepting Ukrainian kamikaze UAVs.

The video shows more than a dozen interceptions of Ukrainian mid- and long-range fixed-wing B-2 and FP-2 kamikaze drones.

Rubicon operators reportedly often only need a thread dropped from a drone while flying above an enemy UAV, tangling its propeller and causing it to crash.

In recent months, Kiev has intensified attacks on Russian regions using long-range fixed-wing drones such as FP-2 models shown in the footage, often targeting civilian infrastructure and vehicles.

Last week, these types of strikes killed at least 35 civilians, including three children, and injured 182 people, according to Rodion Miroshnik, who leads the Russian Foreign Ministry mission responsible for tracking Ukrainian war crimes.

Earlier in May, Ukraine killed 21 students, mostly young women, in a double-tap drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk, Russia.

https://www.rt.com/russia/641098-russian-drone-elite-intercept-ukrainian/