Sabotage on the Orders of the Russian Federation? The Security Police Records an Increase in Incidents at Critically Important Sites

According to the Security Police, this trend indicates the effectiveness of the conducted briefings and an increase in the awareness of security personnel about existing threats. Each case was analyzed to establish the motives behind suspicious actions, and the Security Police cooperated with the State Police during the investigations. Most incidents were related to hooligan motives. However, in some cases, the Security Police had suspicions that the actions were carried out on behalf of Russian special services. In 2025, the number of incidents involving unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) increased more than twofold. As in other European countries, unauthorized drone flights in Latvia seriously affected civil aviation — airport runways were closed, and flights were redirected to other airports. In light of the increase in such incidents, the Security Police urged owners and managers of critical infrastructure to enhance their protection with drone detection equipment. An analysis of incidents conducted by the Security Police showed that last year, Russian special services showed the greatest interest in critical infrastructure facilities in the areas of railway communication, electricity supply, and telecommunications, against which sabotage was planned. The Security Police believes that due to the preventive work of the service in cooperation with the security of critical infrastructure and the State Police, the capabilities of Russian special services to carry out sabotage against Latvia's critical infrastructure were significantly limited last year. The Security Police is one of the three special services in Latvia. The Bureau for the Protection of the Constitution (BPC) was the first to publish its report on activities for the past year last week.