(adds paragraph 6 about Silina's planned meeting with Spruds)

RIGA, May 8 (LETA) - The government's massive EUR 2 billion support to the defense sector, which has been provided at the expense of other needs, requires the sector to be more accountable to the Latvian people, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) said in an interview with Latvian Radio, commenting on the delayed notification of residents after a drone incident in Latgale on Thursday morning.

Silina was repeatedly asked whether Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Progressives) should resign in the wake of the drone incident, to which the prime minister did not give a straight answer, but criticized the defense minister's actions. She said that the defense and security sector has been substantially supported by the government, with no increase or even a reduction in funding for a number of other areas for this purpose. A budget of two billion obliges the minister to realize that the defense sector will be expected to step up its performance, Silina said.

The prime minister stressed that she certainly does not consider the situation with the belated phone alerts following the drone incident on Thursday to be good or satisfactory, and that the defense minister is aware of this. Silina is therefore going to have a serious conversation with Spruds soon. "It is not normal that we could not really do anything once again," said the prime minister.

She added that the ability of the armed forces to respond to air threats by scrambling fighter jets is "good news", but that the population should not be left without timely notification, no matter who the defense minister is.

"In any case, what is required is more responsibility from the defense sector toward the Latvian people, because this funding has been received and now they must be ready to do whatever is in their power, even if it means changing priorities," the prime minister said.

Later, the prime minister wrote on X that she has summoned Spruds for a conversation next Monday, May 11. "The situation with the solutions to the drone incidents is unsatisfactory," Silina wrote.

Silina already expressed her frustration to reporters after the Crisis Management meeting on Thursday, saying that the cell broadcast message about the early morning drone incident at the oil storage facility in Rezekne was sent out only after the drone had already crashed into the facility.

Defense Minister Spruds also said later at a press conference in Rezekne that whether the cell broadcast was sent out too late is a valid question, and it is therefore necessary to assess what worked and what did not.

"I will carry out such an assessment and inspection and I will have it carried out within the armed forces, [to assess] what has worked and what has not," Spruds promised.

As reported, in the early hours of Thursday, several drones flew into Latvian airspace from Russia, at least one of which crashed in Rezekne, damaging an oil storage facility. It is believed that another drone may have fallen in a more remote location, while another drone left Latvian airspace.

People in the vicinity of Ludza, Balvi, and Rezekne received cell broadcast alerts on their mobile phones, warning them of a threat in airspace.

NAF notes that as long as Russian aggression in Ukraine is ongoing, there is a possibility of recurrence of cases of foreign drones entering or approaching Latvian airspace.