Latvia’s Air Force allegedly dispatched a group of NATO fighter jets to its border with Belarus to investigate an unidentified flying object which turned out to be a flock of birds, according to media reports.
The Baltic state’s Defense Ministry released a statement on Tuesday stating that in the early hours of September 17, the Air Force detected an “unrecognizable flying object” that had approached the Latvian-Belarusian border and crossed it in the vicinity of Kraslava district.
In response, the ministry said that warplanes of the NATO Airspace Patrol Mission took off and were sent to intercept the object. After failing to find anything suspicious, the fighters returned to base.
However, later in the day, LETA news agency reported that airspace monitoring devices had identified the “unrecognizable flying object” as a flock of birds. The precise species has not been specified.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has nevertheless reiterated that the public must be informed when unidentified objects approach the country’s borders, while Defense Minister Andris Spruds noted that the fighter jets were airborne because it was initially impossible to determine what the “object” was.
In light of the incident, Latvia’s Defense Ministry has urged citizens to immediately report any suspicious objects or activities on the country’s border by calling a national emergency hotline.
Last week, the Latvian military announced that it would be taking additional measures to secure the country’s eastern border after an armed military drone supposedly crashed in the country’s Rezekne Region.
According to the Latvian National Air Force, the drone was allegedly identified as a ‘Shahed’ drone that had crossed into the country’s airspace from Belarus. Moscow has denied claims that the drone was of Russian origin.