Latvian air defense units and NATO air policing jets activated early Tuesday after an airspace security threat prompted orange and yellow alerts across Cēsis, Smiltene, Gulbene, Ludza, Krāslava, Augšdaugava, Balvi, Aizkraukle, Jēkabpils, and Madona municipalities.
The National Armed Forces announced that the alerts were subsequently canceled after the threat passed.
The security measures began late Monday when an orange alert was declared in the Ludza municipality, followed shortly after by Krāslava and Augšdaugava. Throughout the night, yellow and orange warnings were issued and lifted across several other regions as air defense units and interceptor drones were activated. Initially, an orange alert was issued in the Ludza municipality on November 10 at 23:25, and in the Krāslava municipality on November 11 at 00:03, while a yellow alert for a potential threat was declared in Augšdaugava.
At 00:35, the alerts in these municipalities were canceled. At 01:25, an airspace threat alert was declared in the Balvi municipality, but it was canceled at 02:16. After 02:30, alerts were also issued in the Aizkraukle and Jēkabpils municipalities, but they were canceled shortly before 03:00. An airspace threat alert was also issued in the Madona municipality, but it was canceled at 03:08.
According to official notifications issued during the alerts, residents in affected areas were instructed to follow safety protocols. In zones under orange warnings, the military advised the public to Eikite į patalpas, laikykitės „dviejų sienų“ principo!
and to contact emergency services if they spotted low-flying or suspicious objects according to TV3. NATO air policing jets were also activated across the Baltic airspace to monitor the situation.
Following an incident last week where a drone entering Latvian airspace failed to be shot down, defense officials reviewed response protocols to shorten the decision-making chain. Raivis Melnis stated that local drone-interception teams have been granted broader authority to identify targets and take action directly, while command centers retain the ability to halt missions if allied aircraft enter danger zones.
Authorities have not yet detailed the specific origin, flight path, or exact nature of the aerial object that triggered the multi-municipality alerts, nor have they confirmed whether any kinetic interceptions were ultimately required before the armed forces declared the threat over.
