Latvia closes eastern airspace following Russian drone incursions in Poland

Latvia will temporarily shut down the airspace along its eastern borders with Russia and Belarus, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds confirmed. 

In a statement, published on September 11, 2025, Sprūds said the airspace will be closed starting from September 11, 2025, at 18:00 local time for at least one week, until September 18, 2025. 

“There is no immediate threat, but the army is on high alert during the comprehensive national defense Namejs exercises,” Sprūds said.  

The Namejs exercises, held regularly in Latvia since 2014, are currently taking place from September 2 to October 8, 2025, as part of the country’s ongoing national defense training. 

According to the defense minister, the action “will allow for full control of the restricted airspace zone and will make it easier to spot unauthorized flying objects.” 

Additionally, Sprūds said that closing the airspace will “free the restricted airspace zone for NATO Baltic Air Policing mission fighters” and “allow for increased testing of acoustic airspace surveillance systems, drone and anti-drone simulations, and the deployment and training of additional mobile combat units.” 

In an interview on LTV Rīta panorāma on September 11, 2025, seen by the Baltic News Network (BNN), the Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) Kaspars Pudāns cited the risk of continued Russian provocations, such as the drone violations that occurred in Poland on the night of September 9–10, 2025, as the main motive for the move. 

“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. 

Pudāns said shutting down the airspace would redirect civilian aircraft, enabling faster decision-making. 

He stated that the NBS has maintained strong collaboration with civil aviation, and that in the event of a threat, closing the airspace would only require a few minutes, according to the BNN report. 

Not the first NATO ally to close airspace 

Latvia is not the first NATO ally to shut its airspace along its eastern borders.  

Following the incursion of multiple Russian drones on September 10, 2025, Poland’s Air Navigation Agency (PAZP) introduced air traffic restrictions along the borders with Belarus and Ukraine, in effect until December 9, 2025.  

The measures include a 24-hour ban on civilian drones and a nighttime ban on all other flights, with exemptions granted only for military operations. 

On August 21, 2025, Lithuania temporarily closed airspace along part of its border with Belarus. 

The country’s airspace security was tightened after several incursions in July 2025, when two Russian-designed Gerbera drones violated its airspace. One drone crashed near the border, another flew over the capital Vilnius before eventually crashing inside a military training ground while carrying an explosive payload of two kilograms. 

Both Latvia and Lithuania have closed airspace before the start of Russia’s large-scale Zapad military exercises, scheduled to begin on September 12, 2025. 

Estonia is currently the only Baltic state that has not set new airspace restrictions along its eastern border. Nevertheless, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has filed an official protest with Russia after a military helicopter breached its airspace on September 7, 2025. 

According to Tallinn, a Mi-8 helicopter from the Russian Federation entered Estonian territory close to Vaindloo Island and stayed in its airspace for approximately four minutes. Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described the violation as “yet another serious and regrettable incident.” The post Latvia closes eastern airspace following Russian drone incursions in Poland appeared first on AeroTime.

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