Russian aircraft violate Latvian and Romanian airspace: NATO issues condemnation

12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS

NATO member countries Romania and Latvia have announced that Russian UAVs have violated their airspace. It was stated that the vehicles violating the airspace were UAV-type attack aircraft, and information was shared that one of the vehicles flew into Romania during Russia's night attacks on Ukraine. The other vehicle was reported to have crashed in eastern Latvia the previous day. 

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence stated that a UAV entered Romanian territory early Sunday as Moscow struck 'civilian targets and port infrastructure' across the Danube River in Ukraine. 

The ministry added in its statement that Bucharest deployed F-16 fighter jets to monitor its airspace and sent written warnings to residents living in the region in Romania's eastern border neighbors, Moldova and Ukraine. No information was shared regarding loss of life or damage. 

Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds later said that a Russian UAV crashed near the town of Rezekne a day earlier and had likely strayed into Latvia from neighboring Belarus.

Mircea Geoana, the outgoing deputy secretary general of NATO and a former senior Romanian diplomat, said the military alliance condemns Russia's violation of Romanian airspace. Mircea Geoana wrote on X:

'While we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous.' 

The Latvian military similarly stated that there were no indications that Moscow or Minsk had intentionally sent a drone into the country.

News Source: 12punto