Starting from the 11th of September at 18:00 until the 18th of September — with a possible extension — Latvia is closing its airspace along the eastern border as a precautionary security measure.
At a press conference, Defence Minister Andris Sprūds stressed that the drone incursions into Polish airspace were a blatant violation of NATO airspace and that Latvia must respond appropriately. He noted there is no direct threat to Latvia at present, but preventive steps are essential.
Sprūds underlined that airspace and civilian protection are being taken very seriously, with Latvian armed forces already deployed along the eastern border to intercept any hostile drones if needed. NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission has been reinforced, and Latvia has introduced new acoustic detection systems and anti-drone weapons, with additional counter-drone capabilities planned for next year.
NBS Commander Major General Kaspars Pudāns explained that
Latvia is running active air-defence operations in the east and is ready to monitor the airspace.
The temporary airspace closure will give air-defence units more operational freedom; after a week, authorities will assess whether to reopen it or keep it closed longer.
The decision follows multiple Russian attack drones breaching Polish airspace overnight on Wednesday, prompting Polish forces to shoot down at least three of them. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country’s airspace had been violated 19 times during the incident.
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