Latvia briefly warns of airspace threat, says NATO jets activated

Latvia's armed forces briefly warned ​on Monday of a ‌threat in ​the airspace affecting two regions of the Baltic country and said NATO air policing fighter jets ‌had been activated.

"TAKE ACTION! We inform you that there is a threat in the airspace of Latvia," the armed forces said in a post on ‌X, adding that residents in two eastern regions should shelter indoors. The military ‌later said the danger had passed and that the object was believed to be on the ground in Latvia, in an area near the Russian border.

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, saying it ignited the war by invading its neighbour nearly five years ‌ago.