– Considering incidents of air space violations in other NATO countries and due to the Armed Forces carried out by Latvian forces, the simulations of controlling drones, it was decided to continue the partial closing of the Latvian airspace at night – said Minister of Defense Andris Spruds.
The head of the Latvian Ministry of Defense emphasized that future decisions will be made in connection with the planning of NATO operations, the Eastern Sentry (“Eastern Sentry”), as well as in consultation with the neighboring Estonia and Lithuania.
According to the Ministry of NATO, as part of the newly established mission, the alliance's eastern flank is planned and coordinated with other countries, and its purpose is to strengthen the supervision of airspace, including the ability to identify and shoot low -flying facilities.
In September – after the incident with Russian drones in Poland, which flew through the eastern border deep into the territory of the country – Latvia closed its airspace in the east for aircraft for aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles for a week and unmanned with low altitudes, i.e. up to 6,000 meters. Then the authorities in Riga extended the restrictions, introducing a night ban on drones in the waist along the eastern border of the country.
The Latvian border with Russia is 283 km, while with Belarus – 172 km.
