Unfiltered, Uncensored Update: Slovak PM's Moscow Journey Hit by Baltic Airspace Closure
Airspace of Baltic States has been closed for flight bound to Moscow, involving former Slovak prime minister Robert Fico.
Take a detour, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico! The Baltic states are giving you the cold shoulder, refusing to let your plane fly through their airspace on your way to Moscow for the World War II commemorations. And that's causing one heck of a scheduling nightmare.
Why the beef, you ask? Fico's got a rather chummy relationship with our pals in the Kremlin, and the Baltic states ain't too thrilled about it. So, instead of a direct flight over their territory, Fico's government plane is taking a longer, more scenic route: over Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and Russia's Dagestan region. That's quite the trip, folks!
Usually, European aircraft make a beeline through Lithuania's airspace when heading to Russia. But remember back in 2021 when the Minsk government forced a Western plane to land with a fighter jet? Yeah, that did not go over well, and the European airlines have been avoiding the Belarus route ever since. So, Lithuania banned overflights for Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, with Latvia and Estonia following suit.
Fico, the only EU leader attending the Moscow celebrations, is taking quite the gamble, defying EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas' urging to avoid the Kremlin's military parade. He's got quite the audience, too, with more than two dozen foreign dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, dropping by to pay their respects.
But Fico's not one to back down, and he's calling the Baltic states' decision to shut their airspace a "strange demonstration of sovereignty." Well, if the shoes were on the other foot, we'd expect the same.
Sources: ntv.de, mdi/rts
- Slovakia
- Baltics
- Moscow
- Russia
- World War II
- EU
Enrichment Data:
The Baltic states—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—were implementing EU sanctions and policies restricting support and participation in Russian events following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The closure of their airspace to Fico's flight was part of this ongoing pressure against Russia in response to the war. Despite an agreement that normally would have allowed such access, the Baltic states denied overflight rights to Fico's government plane, citing EU sanctions and policies toward Russia[4][2].
The denial of access forced Fico's plane to take a much longer southern route, nearly doubling the flight duration from around two and a half hours to about five hours[2][4]. Fico, a vocal critic of EU support for Ukraine and Slovakia's dependence on Russian gas, nevertheless chose to defy the EU's boycott policy that bans official attendance by EU members at public events in Russia, expressing frustration at the Baltic states’ decision[4].
- The denial of overflight rights by the Baltic states, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, has forced Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's government plane to take a prolonged route to Moscow, adding nearly double the flight duration.
- The extended journey is due to the implementation of EU sanctions and policies restricting support and participation in Russian events as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Slovakia's employment of a southern route involves passing through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and Russia's Dagestan region, significantly extending the travel time.
- Despite the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, urging him to avoid the Kremlin's military parade, Fico has chosen to attend the World War II commemorations in Moscow, defying the EU's boycott policy towards Russia.
