Air traffic restrictions have been introduced in eastern Poland along the borders with Belarus and Ukraine. Latvia has introduced similar restrictions, only on the border with Belarus and the Russian Federation.
Points of attention
- Poland and Latvia have implemented air traffic restrictions along their borders with Belarus and Russia in response to Russian provocations.
- Both countries have closed airspace to civilian unmanned aerial vehicles to safeguard state security.
Poland and Latvia partially closed airspace: what happened
At the request of the Operational Command of the Armed Forces, air traffic restrictions will be introduced in the EP R129 zone in the eastern part of Poland from September 10 to December 9, 2025.
According to the graphs presented to PANSA, the EP R129 zone affects the border with Belarus and Ukraine along its entire length.
A complete ban on flights will be in effect at night, with the exception of military aircraft. A 24-hour ban on flights by civilian drones is also being implemented.
The restriction is being implemented to ensure state security.
Latvia is also closing the airspace over its eastern border with Russia and Belarus from September 11 on the recommendation of the armed forces after a risk assessment.
It is noted that flights will be banned for at least a week. Airspace will be closed up to an altitude of 6,000 meters in a 50-kilometer zone from the external border of Latvia.
Defense Minister Andris Spruds said that the Russian drone attack on Poland on September 10 "is a clear violation of NATO airspace, and Latvia must act accordingly."
Although there is no direct threat to Latvia at the moment, preventive measures are necessary… Russian drones in NATO airspace are a wake-up call, and we must do everything possible to prevent an escalation of drone attacks.
According to the head of the Latvian Ministry of Defense, such a step will allow, in particular, to expand the capabilities of testing acoustic airspace surveillance systems, modeling drone actions and countering them, as well as deploying and preparing additional mobile combat units.
