Latvia to install military radar against Russia and Belarus on its territory

The Latvian Defence Ministry has taken a decision to install in the country's east a three-dimensional military radar TPS-117 to control the air space above the western part of Russia and the whole of Belarussian territory by next summer.

The radar will be installed in the village of Audrini located in about 50 kilometres away from the Latvian-Russian border, Latvian Defence Ministry state secretary Edgars Rinkevics said as much at a meeting with the administration of Rezekne and Audrini.

TPS-177 will become a component part of the Baltnet joint system of control over the air space of the Baltic states which, in its turn, will be connected to the Nato air control system. The decision to install the radar was taken in spite of protests voiced by the local population.

Latvian Defence Minister Girts Kristovskis warned that protests against the radar installation will be considered "actions contradicting the state interests."