Russia deliberately redirects Ukrainian drones into Baltic airspace — FM Sybiha
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (photo: Getty Images)
Russian electronic warfare systems deliberately divert Ukrainian drones into the territory of NATO countries. Ukraine offered assistance to help prevent such incidents, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated.
Causes of incidents in Latvia
According to the foreign minister, investigations into recent cases of drone crashes in Latvia have confirmed Russian interference.
Russian electronic warfare systems are deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones away from their intended targets inside Russia and steering them toward neighboring countries.
Minister Sybiha noted that he has already discussed the situation with his Latvian counterpart, Baiba Braže.
Cooperation for Baltic security
Ukraine officially confirmed its readiness to deploy specialists to help protect the airspace of Latvia, Finland, and other Baltic countries.
"Our goal is to ensure maximum safety for Latvia, other Baltic states, and Finland. First, by effectively countering Russian aggression. Second, by helping to strengthen the protection of our friends' air space," the minister emphasized.
He also added that Ukraine is ready to cooperate directly to prevent similar provocations in the future.
Drones in Baltic states
The security situation in the Baltic airspace has significantly worsened in recent days due to Russian provocations. In particular, on the night of May 7, several Russian drones crossed into Latvian territory, and one of them struck an oil storage tank in the city of Rēzekne.
Amid the incident, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Ukraine and Latvia are in constant contact and that relevant authorities in both countries are sharing data to clarify all the circumstances.
The minister stressed that Russia uses specific electronic warfare assets to deliberately divert Ukrainian drones off course toward NATO countries — Latvia and Finland.
In response, Ukraine officially proposed deploying its specialists to the Baltic states. Ukrainian experts possess unique experience countering Russian electronic warfare and analyzing drone flight paths, which would help allies strengthen border security.
