Latvia sends Ukraine the first 500 drones out of 12,000 promised

Latvia has handed over 500 attack drones to Ukraine as part of an international drone coalition. This is the first batch of 12,000 drones to be delivered by mid-2025.

Here's What We Know

Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds announced the shipment of a new batch of combat drones to Ukraine. This includes 500 Latvian-made drones that are already on their way to the frontline. This is only the beginning of a large-scale supply programme - by mid-2025, Latvia is to deliver 12,000 of these devices to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The drones are manufactured by two Latvian companies. The contract for their production is estimated at 17 million euros. The drones are being supplied as part of the International Drone Coalition, which Latvia leads together with the United Kingdom. The initiative has already been joined by 17 countries, including Norway.

The Coalition has established a drone procurement fund managed by the UK. Latvia has contributed EUR 5 million to the fund. In total, the participating countries plan to allocate almost EUR 2 billion for the purchase of drones for Ukraine. The initiative will provide about 100,000 combat drones, most of which are FPV.

Source: X