VILNIUS — The Gitanas Nausėda-led Lithuanian government has lodged a diplomatic protest after two Russian military aircraft briefly violated the airspace of the Euro Atlantic member state on Thursday evening. The incursion involved a Su‑30 fighter and an Il‑78 refuelling aircraft crossing from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast into Lithuanian airspace near Kybartai. According to the Lithuanian armed forces, the aircraft flew approximately 700 metres into national territory and remained within Lithuanian airspace for about 18 seconds before exiting.
President Nausėda described the incident as “a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania,” and declared that the foreign ministry will summon the Russian embassy in Vilnius to deliver a formal protest. He warned that the violation “once again confirms the importance of strengthening European air defence readiness.”
Lithuania’s military statement said that Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons, operating under the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, were scrambled in response and patrolled the area after the incursion was detected.
While the Kremlin has not publicly commented on the specific incident, the breach comes amid heightened tensions in the Baltic region, where repeated airspace incursions and drone intrusions attributed to Russia have raised concerns among NATO members that Moscow may be testing alliance readiness. The Lithuanian government’s protest and call for stronger regional defences underscore its growing unease over what it sees as “reckless and dangerous behaviour” on its eastern flank.
