Latvia briefly warns of airspace threat, says NATO jets activated

Latvia's armed forces briefly warned on Monday of an airspace threat affecting two eastern regions, activating NATO air policing fighter jets. The military later said the danger had passed and an object was believed to be on the ground near the Russian border. Ukrainian drones have been straying into NATO airspace, raising concerns of spillover from the war.

Latvia's armed forces briefly warned on Monday of a threat in the airspace affecting two eastern regions of the Baltic country, saying NATO air policing fighter jets had been activated. The military later said the danger had passed and the object was believed to be on the ground in Latvia, near the Russian border. The incident is part of a pattern of Ukrainian military drones straying into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, creating concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO countries bordering Russia and its ally Belarus. As Ukraine attacks Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports, some drones have missed their targets, leading to security warnings. In Latvia, such incidents led to a government collapse earlier this year. Moscow has accused Kyiv of using NATO airspace as cover for attacks, while Kyiv says some drones have been steered off course by Russian signal jamming. The NATO countries generally blame Russia for the war.