A Russian fighter jet and a refueling aircraft briefly violated Lithuanian airspace on Thursday evening after taking off from the Kaliningrad region, Lithuania’s military command reported.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called the incident “a blatant violation of international law and Lithuania’s territorial sovereignty.” “We must respond to this,” he wrote on X from Brussels.
Preliminary data suggest the aircraft were likely conducting an aerial refueling exercise. They penetrated about 700 meters into Lithuanian territory near the town of Kybartai and remained there for roughly 18 seconds before turning back.
In response, two Spanish fighter jets on duty as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled for interception and began patrolling the area.
The situation is “fully under control,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said on Facebook, noting that the country’s response to the threat had been appropriate. “This incident once again shows that Russia behaves like a terrorist state, disregarding international law and the security of its neighbors,” she added.
“Together with our allies, we will defend every inch of our country.”