Russia is attempting to create an informational basis for possible provocations in the airspace of the Baltic states and Finland by using the topic of Ukrainian drones. The Kremlin is likely seeking to justify potential future violations of NATO countries’ airspace. This is stated in a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Source: OBOZREVATEL
Analysts note that Russia is promoting a narrative about the alleged “necessity” of intercepting Ukrainian drones attacking its territory, which could be used as a justification for further actions in the region.
According to the report, on May 7 several drones allegedly entered Latvian territory from Russia, and two of them crashed on Latvian soil. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds stated that preliminary data points to the Ukrainian origin of these drones, which may have been heading toward targets in Russia, while emphasizing Ukraine’s right to strike legitimate military targets on Russian territory.
Following the incident, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian forces had detected six drones in Latvian airspace, as well as French Rafale and F-16 fighter jets. According to the Russian version, one drone was shot down near the Pskov region, while others “disappeared” near the city of Rezekne.
At the same time, standard Russian air defense reports did not mention drones being shot down over the Pskov region specifically. Instead, they referred to attacks in other regions of Russia, through which drones could theoretically have been moving toward Baltic Sea ports.
The Kremlin, analysts note, has repeatedly promoted the claim that Ukraine is allegedly using the airspace of the Baltic states and Finland to conduct strikes on Russian territory.
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