RIGA, July 1 (LETA) - The Ministry of Defense will not disclose at this time, for operational security reasons, exactly which additional air defense systems will be deployed to strengthen the eastern border.

Defense Minister Raivis Melnis announced the deployment of the additional systems to the media on June 25, following a meeting of the Military Council. At the same time, he expressed his gratitude to Ukraine.

"We have found a solution and will deploy additional systems in the near future. We need not only drones and radars but also the integration of these systems and the training of soldiers. Here, I must thank our allies from Ukraine," Melnis emphasized at the time.

Today, the Ministry of Defense confirmed to LETA that the most effective and situation-appropriate defense solutions will be used to strengthen the eastern border. At the same time, for reasons of operational security, detailed information about specific types of systems and their technical parameters is not being disclosed.

The ministry emphasized that, in the interests of public and national security, it is important not to disclose detailed information that could be used to analyze Latvia’s defense capabilities.

As previously reported, the development of anti-mobility infrastructure is part of the Baltic Defense Line project, which was agreed upon by the Baltic states and Poland on January 19, 2024.

Since March 2024, the National Armed Forces (NBS) have been carrying out military fortifications along Latvia’s eastern border. The goal of constructing these defensive structures is to deter, halt, and, if necessary, eliminate an aggressor.

Last year, EUR 45 million were allocated for the military fortification of Latvia’s eastern border. This year, EUR 55 million are earmarked for strengthening the eastern border.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, seven unmanned aerial vehicles have crashed on Latvian territory, while one drone was neutralized by NATO fighter jets.

Regarding the origin of the drones, there is no basis for automatically assuming that all unmanned aerial vehicles involved in the incidents are diverted Ukrainian drones, as previously noted by the National Armed Forces (NBS).