Russian Rocket Tests Force Partial Closing of Baltic Sea, Airspace

Russian Rocket Tests Force Partial Closing of Baltic Sea, Airspace
Russian navy coastal minesweepers and anti-submarine warfare corvettes are anchored in a bay of the Russian fleet base in Baltiysk in Kaliningrad region, Russia, July 19, 2015. Reuters/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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RIGA—Russia began testing missiles with live munitions in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, alarming Latvia, a member of NATO, which says the drills have forced it partly to shut down Baltic commercial airspace.

The Russian defense ministry said on Monday that its Baltic Fleet, based in its European exclave of Kaliningrad, was preparing for routine training in the Baltic Sea, including live fire drills to practice hitting air and sea targets.