Latvia suggests AI component may have caused stray Ukrainian drones to hit oil depot

An AI component in the programming of flight paths may have caused two stray Ukrainian drones to hit empty oil tanks in Latvia.

As reported by LSM, a Latvian news portal, Modris Kairišs, Head of the Unmanned Systems Competence Centre in the Latvian Armed Forces, made the suggestion in an explainer on how Russian electronic warfare systems can knock Ukrainian attack drones off course, causing them to enter Baltic countries when they were not intended to do so.

The official pointed out that the stray drones that hit an oil depot in Rēzekne on 7 May had the same impact point, suggesting they may have incorporated elements of artificial intelligence in their programming.

"Long-range drones have AI elements. They can 'look for' targets for which they have been programmed. This may explain why they crashed into the oil terminal tanks, which visually resemble targets on Russian territory," he said.

No official confirmation has yet been given, with this suggestion presented as one of the possible versions.

After the incident, which remains the most serious of its kind so far, Ukraine acknowledged that its drones had hit the oil depot because of Russian electronic warfare interference.

Baiba Braže, Latvia's acting Foreign Minister, said Riga saw no reason to invoke Article 4 of the NATO Treaty – the consultation clause – over the stray Ukrainian drones, as the situation was of a different nature.

She once again rejected Russian disinformation claiming that the Baltic states have allowed Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes on Russia, pointing out that Moscow is looking for excuses for its vulnerability to Ukrainian attacks.