Latvia closes airspace along its eastern border

Latvia's airspace will be closed along its eastern border with Russia and Belarus from 18:00 on September 11th until at least September 18th, with the possibility of an extension after that, Defence Minister Andris Spruds announced at a press conference on Thursday, Report informs via LSM+.

Spruds pointed out that Wednesday's events in Poland, which saw a wave of Russian drones cross the border from Belarus, are a blatant violation of NATO airspace and Latvia must act accordingly.

The minister confirmed that there is currently no direct threat to Latvia, but preventive measures are necessary.

As previously reported by LSM, the National Armed Forces were already in a state of high alert during the ongoing "Namejs" military training exercises on Latvian territory.

Closing the airspace on the eastern border will allow for full control of the restricted airspace zone and make it easier to spot unauthorized flying objects, as well as free up the restricted airspace zone for NATO Baltic Air Patrol Mission interceptors and Latvian air defence systems, explained Spruds.

The step will also allow for increased testing of acoustic airspace surveillance systems, drone and anti-drone simulations, and the deployment and training of additional mobile combat units.