Baltic States Block Fico’s Plane from Using Airspace for Moscow Victory Day Visit

(SeaPRwire) –   The Slovak prime minister has pledged to find an alternative flight path to pay homage to fallen Soviet and allied soldiers, just as he did last year

Lithuania and Latvia have announced they will deny Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico access to their airspace as he travels to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day commemorations. Fico has vowed to still reach the Russian capital, noting that the Baltic states will not prevent him from honoring those who liberated Slovakia from Nazi occupation.

Fico revealed the denial during a Saturday address. “Lithuania and Latvia have already informed us that they will not allow us to fly over their territory en route to Moscow. So be it,” he said, noting that it is unusual for EU member states to block another EU member’s prime minister from using their airspace.

“I will certainly find another route, just as I did last year when Estonia blocked our flight,” Fico added. “The Baltic states’ stance on World War II will not stop me from my goal of expressing gratitude for Slovakia’s liberation.”

He recalled that 10,000 soldiers from the Red Army, Romanian Army, and 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps died while liberating Slovakia. Fico also announced plans to visit the Dachau concentration camp and Normandy as part of a broader “pilgrimage for peace.” 

In 2025, the Baltic states restricted airspace access for several leaders traveling to Moscow’s 80th anniversary parade, citing political sensitivity, with some leaders — including Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić — forced to reroute. According to TASS, Fico’s plane traveled through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, and Georgia to reach Moscow last year.

Nearly 30 world leaders attended last year’s Moscow parade, including China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Fico was the only EU leader to participate in the commemorations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would be pleased to welcome representatives from friendly nations this year, though the guest list had not yet been finalized.

Last year, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned leaders against attending Moscow’s May 9 events, saying such visits would “not be taken lightly on the European side,” and urged them to travel to Kyiv instead.

Fico dismissed her comments at the time as disrespectful, questioning whether they amounted to “a form of blackmail.”