Two Russian military aircraft have briefly entered Lithuania’s airspace in what appeared to be a new provocation from Moscow as European Union leaders discussed how to strengthen their defences amid deepening concerns the war in Ukraine could spill over into their nations.
Lithuania’s armed forces said in a statement that the two aircraft – an Su-30 fighter and an Il-78 refuelling tanker – may have been conducting refuelling exercises in the neighbouring Russian exclave of Kaliningrad when they flew 700 metres (0.43 miles) into the country at 6pm local time (15:00 GMT) on Thursday.
“This is a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania,” said President Gitanas Nauseda on X, adding that his country would summon Russian embassy representatives to protest against reckless and dangerous behaviour.
Two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the NATO Baltic Air Police were scrambled in response and were patrolling the area, the Lithuanian military said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry denied the incursion had taken place, saying the flights were conducted “in strict compliance” with rules and “did not deviate from their route and did not violate the borders of other states”.
The incident occurred after Nauseda and his fellow EU leaders attended a Brussels summit on Thursday, endorsing a plan dubbed Readiness 2030 to ensure that Europe can defend itself against an outside attack by the end of the decade.
It follows a series of mysterious drone incidents and airspace violations by Russian warplanes in recent weeks that have heightened anxiety that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be testing NATO’s defensive reflexes.
United Arab Emirates Dirham Exchange Rate
