NATO Member Says Russian Jets Violated Airspace

Russian military planes briefly violated Lithuania's airspace Thursday evening, the Lithuanian president said, condemning what he called a blatant breach of the territorial integrity of his European Union and NATO-member country. Lithuania's foreign ministry planned to summon Russian Embassy representatives in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius to protest the violation, President Gitanas Nauseda said in a post on X.

• "This is a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania," Nauseda wrote. "Once again, it confirms the importance of strengthening European air defence readiness."

• The Lithuanian armed forces said in a statement that about 6pm local time on Thursday, two Russian military aircraft flew into Lithuanian airspace for about 765 yards. The SU-30 aircraft and IL-78 refueling aircraft flew away after roughly 18 seconds. Two Spanish fighter jets, which had been doing NATO air policing missions, were scrambled and flew out to the area.
• Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, rejected the Lithuanian claim that Russian fighter jets had intruded into its airspace, the AP reports. It said in a statement that SU-30 fighter jets on Thursday conducted training flights over the Kaliningrad region in strict compliance with the rules. "The aircraft did not deviate from their flight route or violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring means," the ministry said.
• Baltic nations have already been on heightened alert over neighboring Russia's aggression on Ukraine. And in recent weeks, a series of mysterious drone incidents and airspace violations by Russian war planes have fueled concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be testing NATO's defensive reflexes.
• Earlier Thursday, Nauseda attended a summit at the European Council building in Brussels where EU leaders endorsed a plan to ensure that Europe can defend itself against an outside attack by the end of the decade. The plan is dubbed Readiness 2030.