Latvia records presence of Russian warship and aircraft near its border
On May 12th, the Armed Forces of Latvia recorded a Russian warship and eight Russian aircraft in its exclusive economic zone.
The National Armed Forces of Latvia reported this via Twitter.
"The Russian warship Zhigulevsk was noticed at a distance of 4 nautical miles from Latvian state border in the exclusive economic zone," the post stated.
In addition, according to the Armed Forces, NATO fighters that patrol the skies over the Baltic Sea accompanied eight Russian aircraft: two Su-24, four Su-27, an AN-12 and an IL-76.
The number of such incidents has increased since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and the aggravation of relations between the West and Russia.
In 2015, for example, Russian military planes were seen near the borders of Latvia more than 270 times.
Despite the fact that they don't cross into the air and sea space of the Baltic states, their proximity in the case of aircraft is a threat to civil aviation.
The Baltic countries and the UK have repeatedly stated that the flights of aircraft near their borders is a way for Russia to demonstrate its power and test the response of the NATO.