Lithuania says Russian warplanes violated its airspace: Reports

LONDON

Lithuania has accused Russia of briefly violating its airspace when two military aircraft crossed from the Kaliningrad region on Thursday evening.

The incident occurred near the town of Kybartai, close to the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, public broadcaster LRT reported, citing the Lithuanian military.

An SU-30 fighter jet and an IL-78 refueling aircraft “flew about 700 meters into Lithuanian territory and left after staying there for about 18 seconds,” it reported.

The aircraft were believed to have been conducting refueling training in the Kaliningrad region. In response, NATO air policing jets based in Lithuania were reportedly scrambled.

Two Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets on a NATO air policing mission were deployed to the incident site and are currently conducting air patrols.

Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the charge d’affaires ad interim of the Russian Federation in Vilnius on Thursday evening.

A “note of protest” was handed over, and “a strong protest was expressed regarding the violation of Lithuanian airspace,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its strong protest and demands that the Russian Federation immediately explain the violation of Lithuanian airspace and take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future,” the statement continued.

Vilnius also said it has informed NATO and EU partners, as well as the North Atlantic Council (NAC), about the incident “through diplomatic channels.”

The brief incursion adds to ongoing tensions between NATO and Russia, particularly in the Baltic region, where Western allies have increased air policing and surveillance in response to Moscow’s military activity near the alliance’s borders.