Turkey has temporarily deployed an airborne warning and control (AWACS) aircraft to Lithuania as part of NATO's security measures, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The decision comes after a series of violations of the airspace of countries on the Alliance's eastern flank by Russian drones and fighter jets, Reuters reports.
"As part of NATO's security measures, our AWACS aircraft carried out missions in Lithuanian airspace between September 22 and 25," The ministry's weekly bulletin said.
AWACS systems can detect low-flying drones and other objects that ground-based radars miss.
In recent weeks, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark and Poland have reported Russian airspace violations. Poland has already shot down some drones, and the Lithuanian parliament has given the military the authority to shoot down any unmanned aircraft that enters its airspace.
Western officials say Moscow is using the incidents to test NATO's readiness and resolve. Estonia and Poland have asked the alliance to begin consultations under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for joint discussions in the event of a threat to the security of member states.
Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO, has close economic ties with Russia in energy and tourism. Ankara condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and provided military aid to Kiev, but refrained from joining Western sanctions against Moscow, citing its role as a mediator.