The NATO jet was able to eliminate the drone quickly (Picture: east2west)

A French military jet shot down a Russian drone which entered Nato’s airspace earlier today.

Residents of eastern Latvia had been told to seek shelter indoors after the mystery drone was spotted.

The Latvian Army said the drone had flown into its airspace from Russia as part of what it described as ‘Russian electromagnetic warfare’.

On X, the army said: ‘Allied ​fighter jets successfully shoot down a drone flying into Latvian airspace!’

A French Rafale fighter jet, which was on a Nato mission, managed to shoot down the drone before anyone was hurt.

It’s the latest incursion of Russian drones into Nato airspace as Putin looks to expand his aggression from Ukraine into the Baltic States.

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The French Rafale jet was on a NATO mission when it was scrambled (Picture: Shutterstock)

Last month, it was reported that Putin was stockpiling fibre-optic drones for a potential future assault on Nato countries.

It is thought the Kremlin may already have amassed as many as 130,000 fibre-optic drones, a number which could rise to 200,000 by the end of the summer.

The FPV drones are especially dangerous because they are operated using hair-thin fibre-optic cables rather than radio signals, making them far harder to electronically jam.

Russian military insiders believe the weapons could overwhelm Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the opening stages of an assault designed to shock Europe before Nato can react.

The Kremlin sees the Baltic states as uniquely vulnerable because, although they possess advanced electronic warfare capabilities, they lack Ukraine’s combat experience with mass drone warfare.

In Lithuania, an air raid alarm was sounded when a drone entered its airspace (Picture: AP)

Russian planners also allegedly see Europe as lacking the political will for a prolonged fight for the Baltics — particularly while Donald Trump is in the White House.

In March, organisation Volya said they had received confirmation from sources in the Russian Ministry of Defence that Putin’s plan to ‘invade’ the Baltic states has moved to the next stage.

‘The Russian political leadership believes that European countries will be reluctant to fight a nuclear power, especially without direct support from the United States,’ Volya’s analysis said.

‘Putin and his circle believe that major European countries would not risk going to war with Russia over the Baltic states.’

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