Russian Jets Briefly Enter Lithuanian Airspace

Two Russian military aircraft — an Su-30 fighter and an Il-78 refuelling tanker — briefly entered Lithuanian airspace from the Kaliningrad region, crossing about 700 metres for roughly 18 seconds, possibly during mid-air refuelling training. Lithuania condemned the incursion as a "blatant breach," summoned Russia's top diplomat to protest, and informed NATO, EU partners and the North Atlantic Council. NATO scrambled Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons from its Baltic Air Policing mission (Operation/Eastern Sentry) to intercept and patrol the area, with officials saying the response demonstrated the alliance’s readiness to defend its airspace. Russia’s defence ministry denied any violation, saying the flight remained in Russian airspace. Lithuanian and NATO officials said the episode fits a pattern of recent airspace violations and other incidents that have heightened Baltic security concerns, occurring as EU leaders discussed bolstering European defence in Brussels.