Lithuania’s military reported that two Russian aircraft entered its airspace from the Kaliningrad region for around 18 seconds on Thursday. The planes — an Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 refueling tanker — crossed about 700 meters into Lithuanian territory at around 1500 GMT.

Officials said the aircraft might have been conducting a refueling training exercise when the violation happened.

Lithuanian PM Condemns Moscow’s Action

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene strongly condemned the breach. She wrote on Facebook, “This incident once again shows that Russia is behaving like a terrorist state, disregarding international law and the security of neighbouring countries.”

She assured citizens that the country’s defenses remain strong. “Lithuania is safe. Together with our allies, we look after and will defend every centimetre of our country,” she added.

NATO Jets Scrambled in Response

In response to the intrusion, Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets from NATO’s Baltic Air Police were quickly scrambled. They are now patrolling the area to ensure security, according to Lithuania’s military.

Pattern of Airspace Violations

The latest incident adds to a growing list of airspace violations involving Russian aircraft in the Baltic region. On September 19, three Russian military jets entered Estonia’s airspace and stayed for about 12 minutes. NATO scrambled fighters to escort them out.

Moscow denied the claim, insisting that “Tallinn had no evidence” and accusing Estonia of trying to increase tensions between the East and West.

Earlier in September, more than 20 Russian drones breached Polish airspace. NATO jets shot some of them down — marking the first time alliance forces directly targeted Russian assets since the war in Ukraine began.

NATO Says Russia Still Testing Boundaries

A top U.S. general serving as NATO’s supreme commander said earlier this week that Moscow seems to have been deterred by NATO’s strong response to these airspace violations. However, he warned that Russia is still expected to keep testing NATO’s defenses in the future.