Lithuania has accused Russia of violating its airspace after a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter and an Ilyushin Il-78 refuelling aircraft crossed into Lithuanian territory from Kaliningrad on Thursday, remaining for roughly 18 seconds before turning back.
According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the aircraft entered about 700 meters into the country while conducting what appeared to be aerial refueling training. Vilnius called the incident “a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity,” and summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to protest what it described as “reckless and dangerous behavior.”
President Gitanas Nausėda said on X that the incursion “confirms the importance of strengthening European air defense readiness.” Two Spanish Eurofighter jets operating from Lithuania under NATO’s air policing mission were scrambled to intercept and continued to patrol the area. A NATO official said the response demonstrated “the Alliance’s readiness to ensure the safety of its airspace.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense denied any violation, claiming its aircraft had conducted “planned training flights over the Baltic Kaliningrad region” and “did not deviate from their routes or cross any borders.”
Thursday’s event is the latest in a series of airspace violations across NATO’s eastern flank. Poland, Romania, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have all reported incursions by Russian jets or drones in recent weeks.
The incident coincided with a new round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, further heightening regional tensions. Lithuania, which shares borders with both Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, has long warned that Moscow’s military activities in the Baltic region are becoming more assertive.
