Latvia

Latvia is a Baltic state and NATO/EU member (both since 2004), with a population of approximately 1.8 million. It shares a 214 km border with Russia and a further border with Belarus, making it one of NATO's most exposed front-line members. Latvia has been among the most vocal advocates of Western support for Ukraine and harder EU sanctions on Russia. In April 2026, Russia's Duma extraterritorial deployment bill, passed 413-0, was assessed by Baltic governments as potentially targeting them given their hosting of exiled Russian figures; Latvia hosts Novaya Gazeta Europe, Russia's leading exile investigative outlet.

Latvia's handling of repeated Baltic drone incursions became a domestic political crisis in spring 2026: Defence Minister Andris Spruds resigned on 20 May over failures in the national response , and within days Latvia fielded four-soldier mobile drone-hunter units with Origin Robotics interceptors along its Russian border . Latvia also has a significant ethnic Russian minority, approximately 24% of the population, concentrated in Riga and the eastern Latgale region; Russia has historically used minority-protection rhetoric to justify pressure on Baltic states, a framing that maps onto the Duma bill's rationale.

That domestic crisis has coincided with Latvia becoming a Baltic hub for counter-drone exports. Origin Robotics' BLAZE interceptor drone, developed out of the border deployment, was ordered by France at Eurosatory in June 2026, making France its fourth European operator . Latvia also hosted the US Navy's Iver3 autonomous underwater vehicle off Liepaja during BALTOPS 2026. Latvia contributes to the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup and has committed to exceeding 3% of GDP on defence by 2027.