Latvia Closes Skies Along Russia, Belarus Borders Amid Security Alert

Latvia has moved to temporarily close its airspace along the borders with Russia and Belarus, citing heightened security measures amid military drills and growing concerns over drone incursions in the region.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to a post by Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds on the social platform X.

Latvia has decided to temporarily close its airspace along the border with Russia and Belarus. The restrictions took effect at 6 p.m. on September 11 and will last at least a week, until September 18, with the possibility of extension.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said the decision was made after the Latvian army assessed the situation.

The Ministry of Defense explains that the move will allow for tighter control over the border area and the timely detection of any unauthorized aircraft.

“There is no immediate threat, but the army is on high alert during the Namejs national defense complex exercises,” Spruds wrote.

Prior to this, Spruds had already instructed the National Armed Forces to consider such a move after incidents involving Russian drones violating Polish airspace.

It is claimed that closing the airspace will allow Latvia to fully control the border area and detect unauthorized objects more quickly.

“It will allow for expanded testing of acoustic airspace surveillance systems, modeling the operation of drones and countering them, as well as deploying and training additional mobile combat units,” said the Latvian Defense Minister.

At the same time, Poland, following the recent intrusion of drones into its airspace, restricted air traffic on the border with Ukraine and Belarus from September 10 to December 9 for national security reasons.

In the newly created EP R129 zone, there is a complete ban on flights from sunset to sunrise, except for military flights, and during the day only flights with a flight plan, transponder, and constant radio communication are allowed. Civilian drone flights are prohibited around the clock, with some exceptions for military, rescue, medical, and government operations, as well as missions to protect critical infrastructure.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Poland has formally requested extra air defense systems and counter-drone technologies from its allies, citing the urgent need to strengthen protection against escalating Russian aerial threats.