Two Russian military planes entered the airspace of Lithuania, a NATO member state, for about 18 seconds today, the Lithuanian military said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
The planes were a Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 tanker aircraft, which appeared to be carrying out a training mission for in-flight refueling. At around 6:00 p.m. Lithuanian time, the two planes violated the Lithuanian border, entering from the direction of Kaliningrad - the Russian Baltic exclave, the Lithuanian armed forces said.
In response, Spanish fighter jets “Eurofighter Typhoon“ NATO air forces monitoring the Baltic Sea region took off immediately and continue to patrol the region, Lithuania added.
This incident highlights the tension in the region and the importance of the alliance's rapid response to protect the airspace of member states.