Lithuania Confronts Russia Over Alleged Airspace Violation Amid Denials

Lithuania summoned a Russian diplomat on Thursday to express its protest regarding what it described as the incursion of two Russian aircraft into its airspace, a claim that Moscow has refuted.

According to a brief statement from Lithuania’s military, a Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jet and an IL-78 tanker, both from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, entered Lithuanian airspace for 700 meters (2,300 feet) before exiting after 18 seconds, likely during a refueling exercise.

Later that same day, Lithuania’s foreign ministry announced that it had called in the Russian embassy’s chargé d’affaires to deliver a “strong protest.”

Vilnius demanded that Russia “immediately clarify” the reasons behind this alleged violation and take “all necessary steps to avert similar incidents in the future,” as stated in the official declaration.

In response, the Russian defense ministry denied that any breach had occurred.

“The flights were carried out in full compliance with regulations governing the use of airspace over Russian territory. The aircraft maintained their flight paths and did not violate the borders of other nations,” it stated on Telegram.

Following the breach, two Spanish air force Eurofighter Typhoons, part of a NATO air patrol in the Baltic region, were dispatched to intercept the intruders.

The three Baltic states, all NATO allies and staunch supporters of Ukraine, share borders with Russia and/or its ally Belarus and have experienced multiple violations of their airspace by Russian aircraft or drones.

In September, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland, remaining there for about 12 minutes.

This occurrence prompted Tallinn to call for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council and to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which facilitates consultations among allies in response to threats against any member state.