Poland and Latvia Tighten Airspace Controls Amid Rising Tensions with Russia After Drone Incident

On Thursday, Poland and Latvia enacted measures to limit air traffic in their airspaces adjacent to the borders with Russia and Belarus, following an incident the previous day in which NATO fighter jets intercepted and downed Russian drones that had entered Polish airspace.

Poland’s aviation authorities announced that drones and recreational aircraft would be prohibited from flying up to 3,000 meters (9,900 feet) near its borders with Belarus and Ukraine until December 9. They clarified that commercial passenger flights, which typically operate at significantly higher altitudes, would not be affected by these restrictions.

These restrictions do not apply to Poland’s northern border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Latvia’s Defense Ministry also stated that it would impose airspace restrictions along its eastern border with Russia and Belarus, starting Thursday evening and extending for at least one week. This decision is designed to provide NATO patrol aircraft and Latvian air defenses with the necessary leeway to intercept unauthorized flying objects, with the potential for the measures to be extended.

In another development, Latvia’s right-wing opposition group, the National Alliance, announced on Wednesday that it had introduced a bill in parliament to immediately close the borders with Russia and Belarus. The Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, forwarded the proposal for examination by its national security commission on Thursday.

Last month, Lithuania declared a no-fly zone along its border with Belarus from August 14 to October 1 in anticipation of the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises, Zapad-2025, set to start later this week. Estonia, which shares an eastern border with Russia, has yet to announce any similar airspace restrictions.

The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace this week represented the first direct engagement between NATO and Russia since President Vladimir Putin initiated the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Analysts told The Moscow Times that the breach could have been a calculated move intended to evaluate Western defense capabilities.

The Russian military denied targeting Poland, while the Foreign Ministry accused Warsaw of perpetuating “myths” to further escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

In response to these developments, Poland convened an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to address Russia’s violations of its airspace.