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Russian warships spotted close to Latvia’s territorial waters, claim armed forces

According to the Latvian Defense Ministry, Russian warplanes and warships approached Latvia’s borders 209 times in 2016

© Yuri Smitiuk/TASS

RIGA, May 12. /TASS/. Three Russian warships have been detected next to Latvia’s border, the country’s military said on Saturday.

"On May 11, the Navy detected an SB-121 tug and Kashtan-class submarine support ship SS-750 belonging to Russia’s Armed Forces twelve nautical miles from Latvian territorial waters, while a Ropucha-class landing ship of the Russian Armed Forces was spotted 6.5 nautical miles from territorial waters," the Latvian Armed Forces wrote on Twitter.

According to the Latvian Defense Ministry, Russian warplanes and warships approached Latvia’s borders 209 times in 2016, 270 times - in 2015 and more than 250 times - in 2014. The ministry has not yet released data for the year of 2017.

In the meantime, Russia has reiterated that flights of Russian military aircraft and movements of warships are in strict compliance with international legal norms.

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