Italy backs Latvia’s ex-defence chief after drone crashes expose Europe’s air defence gaps

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto defended his Latvian counterpart Andris Sprūds, who stepped down on Sunday after two foreign drones crashed in the Baltic country.

Crosetto argued that Europe’s struggles to catch up with fast-evolving drone technologies, not Sprūds, were to blame for the incident. 

“Dearest Andris, I’m terribly sorry that you’ve taken this decision, but I’m even sorrier to learn that you’ve had to take it (…) as a consequence of a drone attack, as if it were your responsibility that systems chosen, certified, and accepted by defence technicians and produced by companies outside the defence sector failed to intercept them,” Crosetto said on social media on Monday.

“We pursue technologies that now change every week, emerging on the battlefield – a difficult task even for those, like you, who allocate 5% to defence,” he added. 

Sprūds stepped down on Sunday evening after two foreign drones crashed in Latvia last week. Ukrainian…