Latvia says its honorary consulate in Ukraine was hit by Russian strike

Latvia's foreign minister confirmed on Friday that Russian strikes hit the country's honorary consulate in eastern Ukraine, causing serious damage to the building. Six civilians were killed in the attack and dozens more were wounded, according to Latvian officials. The consulate was located away from the front line, in an area not considered an active combat zone.

European Union and Baltic leaders swiftly condemned the strike, calling it a deliberate attack on civilian and diplomatic infrastructure rather than an accident of war. Diplomatic missions are typically protected under international law from armed attacks, and officials said the strike could amount to a violation of that protection. Latvia, a member of both NATO and the EU, borders a region close to Belarus, a close ally of Russia, keeping the war's proximity to Baltic security a longstanding concern.

Investigators are expected to treat the strike as potential evidence in a war crimes inquiry. EU foreign ministers are likely to discuss a coordinated response in the coming days, as Baltic states renew warnings that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine's borders.