Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Two Russian military aircraft briefly violated Lithuanian airspace on the evening of Oct. 23, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced.
A Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 refueling plane flew approximately 700 meters into Lithuanian airspace from the Kaliningrad exclave, remaining there for about 18 seconds, according to the Baltic country’s military.
“This is a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania,” Nauseda said, adding that the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry would summon a Russian envoy.
The reported incident follows similar cases that took place last month. Estonia said that three Russian MiG-31 jets entered its airspace for several minutes on Sept. 19.
In early September, Poland downed several Russian drones over its territory amid a mass Russian attack on Ukraine, while another drone violated Romanian airspace a few days later.
The Lithuanian military said that the latest incident likely occurred while the Russian Su-30 jet was conducting refueling training over Kaliningrad Oblast, a heavily fortified Russian exclave bordering Lithuania and Poland.
Two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, deployed in the region as part of a NATO air policing mission, were dispatched to patrol the area.
Tensions between NATO and Russia surged over the recent string of airspace violations. Several allies called for a more forceful response to the incursions, including downing the aircraft if necessary.
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