Lithuania says two Russian military jets briefly entered its airspace on Thursday, calling it a “blatant breach of international law.” The incident occurred as European Union leaders met in Brussels to discuss strengthening defence amid fears the war in Ukraine could expand into neighbouring countries.
According to Lithuania’s armed forces, a Russian Su-30 fighter and an Il-78 refuelling tanker crossed about 700 metres (0.43 miles) into Lithuanian territory from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad around 6 p.m. local time. NATO’s Baltic Air Police immediately scrambled two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons in response.
President Gitanas Nausėda condemned the incursion and said Russian diplomats would be summoned to protest Moscow’s “reckless and dangerous behaviour.” Russia’s Defence Ministry denied any violation, insisting the flights followed international rules.
The airspace breach came just hours after EU leaders approved Readiness 2030, a plan to boost Europe’s defence capacity by the decade’s end. It also follows similar provocations: Russian jets violated Estonia’s airspace in September, and NATO forces shot down 20 Russian drones that crossed into Poland earlier that month.
Baltic and Polish officials expressed solidarity with Lithuania, warning that Russia shows no signs of de-escalation. Meanwhile, the EU summit agreed on new sanctions against Moscow but delayed a decision on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
