Overview
- Lithuanian officials say a Su-30 fighter and an Il-78 tanker crossed about 700 meters into Lithuanian airspace near Kybartai around 6 p.m. local time before exiting after 18 seconds.
- Two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons assigned to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled to patrol the area following the reported incursion.
- Vilnius summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires to file a formal protest as President Gitanas Nausėda condemned the violation as a breach of international law.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry denied any airspace violation, stating its aircraft conducted training over the Kaliningrad region without crossing borders.
- Lithuania’s military said the flights may have been refueling training, and the case adds to recent incidents in Poland and Estonia as EU leaders advance Readiness 2030 and the U.S. imposes new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil.