Russia threatens Baltic states for supposedly allowing their airspace to be used for Ukrainian strikes
Moscow has announced that it has warned the Baltic states that there will be "consequences" for allegedly "providing airspace" for Ukrainian strikes on Russian ports on the Baltic Sea.
Source: Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, as cited by Russian outlet Interfax and reported by European Pravda
Details: Zakharova declared that Russia has issued a "warning" to the Baltic states for supposedly allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to carry out strikes on Russian territory.
Quote: "These countries have been given an appropriate warning. If the regimes of these countries have any sense, they will heed it. If not, they will have to deal with a response."
Details: Similar remarks were made several days earlier by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
After the first incidents in which Ukrainian drones heading for Russian Baltic ports entered territory of the Baltic states, rumours began to swirl in Russian mainstream and social media that the countries had allowed Ukrainian UAVs to use their airspace.
Background:
- Latvia said Russia has launched a disinformation campaign on the issue and it has lodged a protest with Moscow, while Estonia has directly rejected Russia's accusations that it granted Ukraine permission.
- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry apologised to its partners for the incidents and said the drones had most likely strayed off course under the influence of Russian electronic warfare systems.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later said Russia was deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones so that they would enter the Baltic states' territory.
- The shortest direct route from Ukraine northwards to the Russian ports around St Petersburg runs past the eastern borders of Belarus (or directly over its eastern regions), Latvia and Estonia.
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