Baltic states refuse airspace access to Russia’s Victory Day invitees

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have refused to grant world leaders access to their airspace ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday.

While nearly 30 foreign leaders are expected to travel to Moscow, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, several media outlets reported this week that numerous requests to use Baltic airspace en route to Russia have been denied.

On Wednesday, independent outlet Meduza reported that both Lithuania and Latvia had refused to allow Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to fly through their airspace, citing the “diplomatic” and “political” sensitivity of the situation. Though neither country’s officials have yet commented on the matter, Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT confirmed the information.

In Estonia, overflight requests made by Cuba and Brazil were similarly declined, according to public broadcaster ERR news. Brita Kikas, a spokesperson for Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Serbia had not formally asked for permission, but confirmed that Estonia’s stance was in line with those of Latvia and Lithuania.

Elsewhere, Serbian media reported on Tuesday that Poland and Lithuania had also blocked Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico from using their airspace en route to Russia’s 9 May celebrations. Speaking to ERR news, however, Kikas noted that Fico would be able to travel through Estonia without requesting special permission, as Tallinn grants annual overflight rights to NATO and EU member states.

Vučić and Fico are the sole European politicians who have said they plan to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, which this year mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat and the end of World War II. However, both men have reportedly faced health issues in recent days, raising questions over whether they will appear in Moscow on Friday. Serbia, an EU candidate country, was previously warned by European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas against attending the celebrations.