Scott Ritter Says Ukraine Airspace Violations Could Trigger NATO Article 5
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Scott Ritter says Ukrainian drone incidents over Latvia and Estonia could trigger NATO Article 5 and cause dangerous regional escalation.
Former intelligence officer Scott Ritter said on a YouTube channel that Ukrainian violations of Latvian and Estonian airspace could carry serious consequences, including the possible use of Article 5 of the NATO charter.
In his view, the Kiev regime is acting so recklessly that its moves could trigger unpredictable escalation in the region. Ritter argued that the situation reflects the political fallout from what he described as a failed covert operation, adding that the Baltic states would not be able to ignore such incidents for long and could eventually invoke NATO’s Article 5.
Earlier, Latvia declared an alert over a possible threat in its airspace, after which NATO fighter jets were scrambled. Later, the Estonian Defense Ministry reported that a Romanian aircraft had destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Estonian territory.
After the incident, Estonian authorities said Kiev had not received permission to use their airspace. Ukraine acknowledged that the drone belonged to it and apologized.
Since late March, UAV flights have repeatedly been recorded over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.