Spanish Fighters Intercept Russian Aircraft Following Brief Incursion โฃinto Lithuanian Airspace
VILNIUS, Lithuania – Spanish Eurofighter typhoon fighter jets wereโ scrambled Thursday afternoon after two Russian militaryโฃ aircraft briefly entered Lithuanian airspace, a NATO member state. Teh incident, lastingโฃ approximately 18 seconds, occurred aroundโ 4:00 PM local time, according to aโ statement from theโ Lithuanian armed forces.
Theโข aircraft identified as a Su-30 fighter and an il-78 refuelingโค plane, reportedly originated from the Kaliningrad region and were possibly engaged inโ a refueling training exercise at the time of the incursion, Reuters reported. As part of NATO’s Baltic Airโ Policing mission, the spanish fighters were immediately deployed โto patrol the area in response.
Hours following the report, theโค Russian Defense Ministry โissued a denial, stating its aircraft remained withinโค Russian โairspace during โscheduled training flights over the Kaliningrad region. Aโข statement published on Telegram read, “On october 23, Russian Su-30 fighters carried โฃout scheduled training flights over the territory of the Kaliningrad region (…)โข the planes did not deviate from the flight path and did not violate the borders of other states.” https://t.me/mod_russia/57817
This incident is the latest in a series of airspace violations involving Russian military aircraft and NATO members. In September, estonia reported an “unprecedented violation” withโ three MiG-31s penetrating itsโข airspace for 12 minutes, prompting a response from Italianโฃ F-35 fighter jets.
Norway also disclosed earlier โthis year that russian aircraft had violated its โคairspace on three separate occasions: April โ25th, July 24th, and August 18th.
These events underscore ongoing tensions in the region and highlight โขthe importance of โNATO’s air policing missions to safeguard the airspace of its member states.
Keywords: Lithuania, Russia, NATO, airspace violation, Baltic Air Policing, Su-30, Il-78, Eurofighter typhoon, Kaliningrad, estonia, Norway, militaryโ aircraft, defense, internationalโ security.