Latvia hands over new batch of attack drones to Ukraine
Latvia's Defence Minister Andris Sprūds has announced the transfer of 1,500 attack drones to the Ukrainian Defence Forces. This is part of a large-scale order for 12,000 drones manufactured by two Latvian companies. The total value of the contract is €17 million.
Here's What We Know
This is the second such batch of drones: the previous one, also consisting of 1,500 units, was shipped in early April. Spruds posted a video of a truck loaded with boxes of drones on social media platform X.
The delivery took place as part of an international drone coalition led by Latvia and the United Kingdom. This initiative was established in February 2024 and currently unites 18 donor countries, aiming to provide Ukraine with reconnaissance UAVs, FPV drones and bomber drones.
????? No Latvian drones for Ukraine are 1500 kaujas droni. Divi Latvijas uzņēmumi starptautiskās dronu koalīcijas ietvaros gada pirmajā pusē piegādās 12000 dronus.#MilitaryIndustry?? #DroneCoalition #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/uuL1mQpIGU
- Andris Spruds (@AndrisSpruds) 28 April 2025
The coalition has an international procurement fund administered by the British side. Latvia has contributed 5 million euros to it. Over the year of its operation, the member states have allocated about €2 billion to provide Ukraine with up to 100,000 combat drones. In the first tender for the supply of 30,000 drones, five companies out of 260 were selected, two of which were Latvian.
It should also be noted that last year, Latvia provided Ukraine with 5,000 drones worth €15 million. In 2025, it plans to spend another 20 million euros on the purchase of drones for the needs of the Armed Forces.
Source: X
