An SU-30 fighter and a refueling tanker entered the airspace of the NATO member country for 18 seconds, Lithuania’s military said.
Lithuania’s army reported on Thursday that two Russian military aircraft had crossed the Lithuanian border, remaining in the NATO member state’s airspace for 18 seconds.
The aircraft, a fighter jet and a tanker, flew 700 meters (nearly half a mile) into Lithuania from the Kaliningrad region.
The Lithianian air force detected the Russian SU-30 and IL-78 aircraft near Kybartai at around 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).
Two Spanish air force Eurofighters were scrambled in response to the incursion.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called the move a “blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania” in a post on X that said it “confirms the importance of strengthening European air defense readiness.”
Nauseda’s post also noted that Vilnius’ Foreign Ministry would summon Russian embassy representatives to protest Russia’s “reckless and dangerous behavior.”
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