Detour for Fico's Flight to Moscow: Baltic States Shut Down Airspace
Airspace over Baltic States restricted for Fico's aircraft bound for Moscow.
Traveling to Moscow for World War II commemorations ain't a breeze for Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico. The Baltic states have blocked his plane from passing through their airspace, forcing him to take a longer route.
After taking off from Bratislava airport, Fico's government plane headed towards Moscow, but not the usual route. Instead, it's passing through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and Dagestan, Russia. This detour is a result of the Baltic states closing their airspace—an unexpected hiccup affecting Fico's schedule.
Usually, aircraft traveling between Russia and Europe use Lithuanian airspace. However, in 2021, European airlines were warned about the shorter route over Belarus due to sanctions against Minsk. These sanctions were in response to the government forcing a Western aircraft carrying a political opponent to land with a fighter jet.
Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda announced that Fico's flight, along with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's, would be banned from their airspace. Latvia and Estonia followed suit, claiming that they wouldn't grant flights to the Moscow celebrations. Fico shared the news on his Facebook page, reporting that Estonia had denied them passage.
Despite EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urging EU leaders not to participate in Russia's military celebrations, Fico decided to attend the event. More than two dozen foreign dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, will take part in the parade.
- Slovakia
- Baltics
- Moscow
- Russia
- World War II
- EU
Interesting Tidbits:
Apart from these political struggles, the Baltic states and Poland's move was seen as a "strange demonstration of sovereignty" by Fico. The European Union has enforced a ban on its members from participating in public events in Russia following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Fico's flight detour extensively increased flight time and impacted his schedule for official meetings in Moscow.
Sources: ntv.de, mdi/rts
- The flight route of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico to Moscow for World War II commemorations has been affected, as the Baltic states have restricted their airspace, necessitating a longer journey.
- This detour has forced Fico's plane to pass through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and Dagestan, Russia, instead of the usual route via Lithuania.
- Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, along with the leaders of Latvia and Estonia, have announced that Fico's flight, along with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's, would be banned from their airspace.
- Fico shared on his Facebook page that Estonia had denied them passage, in accordance with the EU's foreign policy and sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
