The National Armed Forces (NBS) will propose closing Latvia’s airspace in the eastern border area for several days, NBS Commander Kaspars Pudāns said Thursday in an interview on LTV’s Rīta panorāma.
According to Pudāns, the NBS will propose partially closing Latvia’s airspace for a longer period than usual, given that similar Russian provocations to those seen in Poland could continue in the near future.
He noted that the NBS has so far maintained good cooperation with civil aviation, and that closing the airspace in case of a threat would only take a few minutes.
Asked about the possibility of stationing allied fighter jets at Lielvārde Air Base, Pudāns said that Latvia regularly discusses this issue with partners, and several countries have been approached — if not for a permanent, then at least a rotating presence of their fighter aircraft at the airbase.
He suggested that
this week’s events in Poland could help persuade allies to take such a step.
As reported, the NBS is expected to present today its assessment of the need to close airspace zones in Latvia’s eastern border area. Pudāns explained that closing the airspace would divert civilian aircraft away, allowing decisions to be made much more quickly.
Regarding calls to close Latvia’s border with Russia and Belarus during Russia’s Zapad military exercises, Pudāns pointed out that Latvia had already closed its border checkpoints last year and strengthened them, while the three remaining open checkpoints could be closed within a few hours if such a decision were made.
He also noted that Zapad exercises have not been observed near Latvia’s borders, while in Poland — which has decided to close its borders with Russia — there are two training grounds close to the border, which could be a potential source of provocations.
“On land, the likelihood of unexpected provocations is much lower;
in the airspace, it’s different — there’s a different dynamic and speeds, which is why it could make sense there,” Pudāns said.
As reported, after Russian attack drones entered Polish airspace, Defence Minister Andris Sprūds (P) instructed the NBS to assess the closure of airspace zones in Latvia’s eastern border area.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers, together with the responsible services, will assess restrictions on crossing Latvia’s eastern border, the National Security Council decided on Wednesday.
On the night of Wednesday, several Russian attack drones breached Polish airspace, and those posing a direct threat were shot down. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the country’s airspace had been violated 19 times and that at least three drones had been shot down.
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