“As soon as we received the message about a possible airspace threat, we immediately acted according to the two-wall principle. We gathered all the children in corridors without windows. The children ate lunch in the corridors and are now sleeping there as well, using blankets spread out on the floor,” a representative of a kindergarten in Daugavpils told BNN.
As long as there is no announcement that the airspace threat has ended, everyone must continue following the two-wall principle. As a result, kindergarten children have already spent a second hour in corridors, while schoolchildren remain in toilets and other interior spaces.
A resident of Daugavpils told BNN that many parents are driving to schools and kindergartens to pick up their children and sign them out because it is unclear how long they will have to remain in enclosed spaces.
“At work we also sat in the corridor for an hour, but gradually returned to our offices,” the resident said.
“I think that
until people in Riga experience this themselves, the authorities will continue to have the same attitude as they do now…
unfortunately. In a way, it is good that the airspace threat also affected Valmiera, Cēsis, and other municipalities in Vidzeme, because it will create greater pressure on the government. Considering the attitude toward Latgale…” a resident of Latgale commented.
Videos allegedly showing a drone flying over the Stropos neighborhood are also circulating among Daugavpils residents.
Another witness claimed to have seen a drone flying in the direction of Belarus while driving from Naujene.
According to several residents of Latgale,
repeated threats have already led to growing apathy in the region.
“We are living as if in wartime, even though there is no war here,” several locals remarked.
Authorities continue to stress that in such situations the most important thing is to find a safer location inside a building as quickly as possible rather than going outside. Residents are urged to follow the so-called “two-wall principle” — staying in a place separated from the outside environment by at least two walls.
People are also advised to close windows and doors, stay away from windows, glass surfaces, and exterior walls, and follow instructions from responsible authorities.
The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) announced that an airspace threat was declared from 10:45 a.m. in the municipalities of Ludza, Rēzekne, and Krāslava, and from 11:27 a.m. also in Augšdaugava Municipality.
Fighter jets participating in NATO’s Baltic air policing mission were activated.
Together with NATO allies, the National Armed Forces continuously monitor the airspace in order to ensure the ability to respond immediately to potential threats. Latvia has also strengthened air defense capabilities along the eastern border by deploying additional units.
As long as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues, repeated incidents involving foreign unmanned aerial vehicles entering or approaching Latvian airspace remain possible.
Read also: Latvia warns of possible airspace threat in Latgale for the third consecutive day