Latvia reports brief airspace intrusion near Russia, Belarus borders

RIGA, Nov 1 (Reuters) – Latvia’s armed forces reported a brief intrusion into the country’s airspace near the borders with Belarus and Russia on Sunday, asking people in the area to stay inside for their safety during the incident.

“We inform you that there is a threat in the airspace… If you notice a low-flying or suspicious object, do not approach,” the military said in a post on X. Some 30 minutes later it said the unidentified object had left Latvian airspace and that the threat had ended.

Ukrainian military drones have been straying into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, creating concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO countries that border Russia and its ally Belarus.

As Ukraine attacks Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports, some of its drones have missed their targets and led to security warnings in neighbouring countries. In the case of Latvia, it led to a government collapse earlier this year.

Moscow has accused Kyiv of using NATO airspace as cover for attacks, while Kyiv says some of its drones have been steered off course by Russian signal jamming. The NATO countries generally blame Russia for the incidents, for having ignited the war by invading its neighbour nearly five years ago.

(Reporting by Janis Laizans, writing by Terje SolsvikEditing by Hugh Lawson and Peter Graff)

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