Two Russian aircraft from the Kaliningrad region briefly violated Lithuanian airspace on Thursday evening, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said.
According to the military, the incursion occurred around 18:00 near the town of Kybartai.
A Russian SU-30 fighter jet and an IL-78 aerial refuelling aircraft, reportedly conducting refuelling exercises over Kaliningrad, entered Lithuanian territory about 700 metres and remained for about 18 seconds before leaving.
“In response to the incident, two Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets, currently deployed in Lithuania as part of NATO’s air policing mission, were scrambled and flew to the area of the violation, where they continue to patrol,” the armed forces said in a statement.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė condemned the incident, calling it a serious breach of sovereignty. They described Russia as acting like a “terrorist state” that disregards international law and the security of neighbouring countries.
Lithuania claims that airspace violations constitute provocations by Russia to test NATO’s response in the so-called “grey zone” between war and peace.
In September, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland for about 12 minutes. Lithuania and Latvia joined Estonia in formally protesting the incident to Moscow.
Russian drones have also reached Lithuanian and Polish territories over the summer, likely diverted from Ukraine.
In response to the growing number of airspace violations, NATO announced the launch of Operation Eastern Sentry, aimed at strengthening the alliance’s defences along its eastern flank.
Shooting down only as last resort
Commenting on the incident, Prime Minister Ruginienė said on Friday that shooting down aircraft violating Lithuania’s airspace is possible but it is a measure of last resort.
“I think that the services have really shown that they are taking tough decisions here and now. The incident that occurred revealed that we are prepared – NATO fighter jets were scrambled immediately, patrolled and monitored the airspace – not only to ensure security, but also to send a signal that we will not tolerate such things,” she told reporters in Kaunas.
NATO fighter jets that respond to airspace violations evaluate what an appropriate response should be, she added.
“We need to understand what the consequences would be if we used fire. We are prepared to do that in extreme cases, but for now, we have stabilised the situation in this way,” Ruginienė said.
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