Poland has restricted air traffic in a narrow strip of airspace along its entire border with Ukraine and Belarus, while Latvia has done the same along its borders with Belarus and Russia.
The actions follow an incursion of around 20 uncrewed aerial vehicles, reportedly dispatched by Russia, into Poland on September 10, 2025, and are in time for the Zapad 2025 Russian-Belarusian joint strategic military exercise being conducted in Belarus on September 12-16.
The Polish restrictions were imposed on September 12 and will remain in place at least until December 9, 2025. NOTAM D6213/25 imposed a new restricted area, EPR129, where all UAV operations are now banned around the clock. During the night, all other aircraft operations are also banned, although during the daytime flights are permitted as long as the aircraft is operating under a valid flight plan, has two-way communication with the appropriate air traffic control centre, and is equipped with a Mode-A, Mode-C, or Mode-S transponder.
Flights above FL095 (9,500 feet or 2,895 metres) are permitted 24/7. However, due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace, the closure of the Polish-Belarusian airspace border, and the relative peripherality of the affected airspace, there are practically no commercial flights over this region.
Meanwhile, Latvia has imposed a ban on all non-military flights along its borders with Belarus and Russia between September 11 and September 18. The restriction covers all flights up to FL195 (19,500 feet or 5,945 metres). NOTAM A4196/25 says that any flights are only permitted with prior approval of the military, regardless of the equipment or procedures used.
