Nordic, Baltic states reject Russian allegations over drone incidents
Nordic and Baltic ministers on Friday firmly rejected “Russia’s blatant disinformation campaign and false claims,” after Moscow alleged that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were allowing Ukraine to use their territory or airspace for attacks on Russia.
“The Nordic-Baltic countries have never allowed their territory or airspace to be used for these attacks against targets in Russia,” the foreign ministers of the so-called NB8 states wrote in a statement.
The group includes Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
“Russia seeks to divert attention from its illegal war and to intimidate NATO Allies. This will not succeed and must stop immediately,” they continued.
Moscow made its unsubstantiated claims after several stray Ukrainian drones used to strike targets in north-western Russia entered the airspace of the Baltic states and Finland, sometimes crashing. Russia recently threatened Latvia in response.
In their statement, the foreign ministers condemned the Russian threats in the strongest possible terms and emphasized that incidents involving drones entering NATO airspace were a direct consequence of Moscow’s war.
They noted that Ukraine had the legitimate right to defend itself and that the NB8 states would continue their “steadfast political, diplomatic, military and financial support for Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
The Nordic and Baltic states – five of which share a border with Russia – are among the biggest supporters of Ukraine in its more than four-year old struggle against Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
