In Latvia, cows suffered from stress during the NATO Namejs exercise

At a farm in Latvia, several cows were injured after being frightened by gunfire during the Namejs exercise involving NATO forces. The animal welfare organization Zootēka reported a stampede in the pen and one cow in critical condition, and expects a response from the Latvian armed forces.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 6 November 2026 at 01:272 min read

The key facts

Cows at a farm in Latvia panicked at the sound of gunfire during the Namejs exercise and jumped over fences
Several animals were injured in the stampede; according to Zootēka, one cow is in critical condition
The exact number of injured animals is not specified; animal welfare advocates await an investigation by the military

What happened at the farm

At one of the farms in Latvia, several cows were injured during the Namejs military exercise, in which NATO forces are taking part. According to the animal welfare organization Zootēka, in a post published on Facebook*, the animals were frightened by loud gunfire, panicked, and began jumping over fences. The farm owner said the livestock tried to leave the pen, a stampede broke out, and several animals were injured. Animal welfare advocates describe the condition of one of the cows as critical; the exact number of injured animals has not been specified.

Reaction and context of the exercise

Zootēka expressed hope that the Latvian armed forces would pay attention to the incident, look into the situation, and take measures to prevent it from happening again. The Namejs exercise is being held in Latvia to practice defensive operations and coordination between units; the maneuvers involve, among others, service members from NATO allied countries. According to Life.ru, it was previously reported that the exercise was being deployed near the Russian border with 3,000 troops and a thousand pieces of equipment. There are no official comments from the military regarding the injured cows in the publication, so the circumstances of the incident and possible measures remain unknown for now.