RIGA, May 20 (LETA) - Latvia has good reason to review its threat levels in order to adapt them to the new reality, in which stray military drones regularly approach the country’s borders or enter its airspace, Arvis Zile, head of the Crisis Management Center (KVC), said in an interview with TV3 on Wednesday.

Zile acknowledged that Tuesday’s frequent alerts about a potential threat in the airspace had a significant impact on public life and the economy, so it is understandable that outgoing Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) has tasked the agency with reviewing its response protocols.

The KVC director explained that threat levels will be evaluated to adapt response protocols to the new reality and, if possible, avoid completely halting all aspects of public life-such as education, transportation, etc.-while more precisely identifying high-risk targets.

Zile did not venture to predict in detail what the possible changes to the response protocols might be, as experts and sector representatives still need to work on this issue. The first meeting on this issue is scheduled for today, with the aim of reaching conclusions as soon as possible.

At the same time, he emphasized that maximum caution must be exercised regarding drone threats, as they can be used to transport large quantities of explosives and potential explosions can be extremely devastating.

Meanwhile, on Latvian Radio this morning, Zile added that in none of the previous incidents involving such threats has it been necessary for residents to take shelter; consequently, they have not been asked to go to shelters that would be available in the event of war but are currently closed.

As reported, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) has instructed the relevant authorities to submit a report on the cell broadcast alerts issued on Tuesday, as well as to propose measures to improve the response protocols for residents and emergency services, emphasizing that a better way must be found to ensure people’s safety in crisis situations.

The outgoing head of government noted on Twitter that the alerts issued by the National Armed Forces (NBS) on Tuesday regarding a potential threat covered large areas of Latgale and Vidzeme, affecting the day to day activities of many residents, schools, and businesses.

"We need to find a better way to ensure people’s safety in crisis situations while maintaining the continuity of daily life as much as possible," Silina writes.

She has therefore assigned this task to the NBS and the KVC. "Safety and clarity regarding actions in crisis situations must come first," emphasizes Silina.

At the same time, she thanks the Air Force personnel, the State Fire and Rescue Service, as well as KVC specialists and NATO allies for their work.

As reported, on Tuesday the NBS had reason to believe that there was a potential threat to airspace, initially in the Kraslava and Ludza municipalities, and later in the Rezekne, Preili, Madona, Cesis, Gulbene, Smiltene, and Valmiera municipalities. This was the largest number of districts to date whose residents had been warned of an airspace threat.

Meanwhile, around 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening, a potential airspace threat was again announced - this time in the Ludza and Balvi municipalities. The military explained that fighter jets from NATO’s Baltic airspace patrol mission were activated to verify whether the object detected by radar had entered Latvian airspace. No threat to Latvian airspace was identified.

Residents in Latvia's eastern region of Latgale have received similar cell broadcast notifications over the past few months, most likely related to drones approaching or entering Latvian airspace amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Such drones have also exploded on Latvian territory on several occasions, including on May 7 at an oil storage facility in Rezekne.

So far, no people have been injured in such incidents, but the latest drone crash in Rezekne led to the sacking of Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Progressives) and the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity).