Latvia to Close Airspace on the Border with Belarus and Russia

The Latvian government will close the airspace in a 50-kilometer zone along the eastern border and is assessing the possibility of completely closing the eastern land border.

Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced this at a press conference, according to lsm.lv.

Latvia will close the airspace along its eastern border with Belarus and Russia until September 18, starting at 18:00 on September 11. This decision was made after a risk assessment by the Latvian Armed Forces.

The airspace will be closed up to an altitude of 6,000 meters within a 50-kilometer strip from the country’s external border. This height was chosen taking into account the altitude at which drones fly. Aircraft flying higher will be able to cross this zone.

The Minister noted that there is currently no direct threat to the country, but preventive measures are necessary. The decision was made after a Russian drone attack on Polish territory a day earlier.

Andris Spruds also stated that the need for a complete closure of the eastern land border is being assessed, but this issue should be resolved together with Estonia and Lithuania.

Buffer zone for air defense operations

The closure of the airspace on the eastern border will allow the Latvian military to fully control the restricted air zone and facilitate the detection of drones.

In addition, it will open up space for the work of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission and Latvian air defense.

The move will also facilitate testing of acoustic air surveillance systems and allow for the training of “mobile combat units” – likely mobile fire groups.

“Russian drones in NATO airspace is a wake-up call, and we must do everything we can to prevent escalation of drone attacks,” Sprouts said.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Latvian military had deployed additional radars and anti-aircraft units armed with RBS 70 anti-aircraft missile systems on the eastern border.

As a reminder, immediately after the Russian drone attack on Poland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the need to create a “drone wall” on the eastern flank along the border with Russia.