Latvia is closing its airspace along the eastern border from Sept. 11 to 18 with an option to extend the closure, Defense Minister Andris Spruds said at a news conference Thursday, reported Xinhua.
Latvia's airspace zone bordering Belarus and Russia is being closed based on the armed forces' assessment, the minister said.
Latvian airspace will be closed for aircraft flying at an altitude below 6,000 meters in a 50-km-long area along the Baltic country's eastern border. Aircraft flying at altitudes above 6,000 meters will be allowed to cross this area.
The defense minister indicated that Wednesday's incident in Poland, where multiple drones were shot down after they entered Polish airspace, is a "sheer violation of NATO airspace" and that Latvia needs to take appropriate measures.
The minister said that currently there are no direct threats to Latvia, but preventive measures are necessary.
The Polish air forces shot down multiple drones on Wednesday after the country reported its airspace was violated by a "huge number of Russian drones," some of which posed a "direct threat."
Warsaw claimed that this incident marked the first downing of Russian drones over NATO territory, while Moscow dismissed the accusation as groundless.
Russia's Charge d'Affaires in Poland, Andrey Ordash, was quoted by TASS on Wednesday as saying that the drones were from Ukraine.
- Latvia
- Airspace
- Partly closed
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
