Russia and Belarus are responsible for drones in Baltic airspace, - von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Russia and Belarus are responsible for the drones that are increasingly entering the airspace of the Baltic states.
According to Censor.NET, she wrote about this on the social media platform X.
According to the senior official, Russia's public threats against the Baltic states "are completely unacceptable."
"Let there be no doubt about this. A threat against one member state is a threat to our entire Union," she emphasized.
According to the President of the European Commission, Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for the drones that "pose a threat to the lives and safety of people on the eastern flank."
"Europe will respond with unity and strength. We will continue to strengthen the security of our eastern flank through robust collective defense and readiness at all levels," she added.
What happened before?
- As a reminder, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service previously issued a statement accusing Ukraine of planning to launch combat drones from the Baltic states. Russia also threatened NATO member countries with "just retribution" and "strikes against decision-making centers in Latvia" if this were to happen.
- Latvia denied Russia's claims of "attacks from its territory."
- Meanwhile, on May 19, Estonian Defense Minister Pevkur announced that a drone had been shot down in the country’s airspace for the first time.
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On May 20, an air raid alert was issued in Lithuania after a drone was spotted near the border.
A video has been posted online showing students from a school in Vilnius being evacuated to a safe location.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called the Russian Federation's claims about Ukrainian drones allegedly being launched from Latvian territory "absurd."
