Two Russian military aircraft entered Lithuania’s airspace for 18 seconds on Thursday, the Lithuanian military reported. The planes, identified as an Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 refuelling tanker, appeared to be conducting a refuelling exercise when they crossed from Kaliningrad into NATO territory around 1600 CET.
Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets from NATO’s Baltic Air Police immediately scrambled to patrol the area. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda denounced the act in a post on X, calling it a “blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity.”
He strongly condemned the incursion, stating that Lithuania must respond firmly to any violation of its borders. Moscow has not yet commented on the incident.
NATO Raises Alert After Repeated Intrusions
Both NATO and the European Union remain on high alert after a wave of Russian airspace breaches across Europe in recent weeks. NATO issued a warning to Moscow in late September, vowing to use every means to defend its territory after Russian drones were shot down over Poland and fighter jets entered Estonia’s airspace.
The 10 September drone incident in Poland marked the first direct encounter between NATO and Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Estonia later accused three Russian MiG-31 jets of entering its airspace for 12 minutes, an allegation the Kremlin denied.
European leaders voiced alarm over the pattern of intrusions, questioning NATO’s readiness to respond to rising Russian aggression. NATO declared that it would use all legal military and non-military tools to defend every member state from threats in any direction.
Wider Drone Sightings Trigger Security Response
Following the Polish airspace breach, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte launched the Eastern Sentry programme to deter further Russian incursions and demonstrate solidarity with Poland. He condemned drone violations as unacceptable and reaffirmed allies’ unity in defending the alliance.
On 23 September, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Russian involvement could not be excluded after drone sightings forced Copenhagen airport to close for several hours. She warned that Europe must prepare to face such threats regularly.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the accusations as “unfounded.” A day earlier, Oslo airport in Norway shut down for three hours after similar reports. Norway’s government said Russia allegedly violated its airspace three times in 2025 but had not determined whether the latest case resulted from error or intent.
“Regardless of the cause, this is unacceptable,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
