RIGA (Sputnik) — The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania do not possess air patrol capabilities. Since joining NATO in 2004, the three countries' airspace has been defended by a rotating NATO mission.
"On May 29, 2 Russian Su-27 [fighter aircraft] and 2 An-26 [transport aircraft] were identified over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea near the territorial waters of the Republic of Latvia," the NBS said on their Twitter account.
NATO and its Baltic member states have accused Russia over the last years of multiple sorties in the Baltic region as relations between the West and Russia soured over Ukraine.
In response, Moscow said that these allegations distract public attention from the increased NATO military presence in the Baltic and along western Russian borders.
