Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene today described as correct and adequate the reaction of the armed forces of her country and NATO to the latest Russian violation of Lithuanian airspace, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
"The armed forces have truly shown that they make difficult decisions here and now. The incident showed that we are prepared," Ruginiene said in Vilnius.
"NATO fighter jets were immediately put on alert and they patrolled and monitored the airspace, not only to ensure safety, but also to send a signal that we will not tolerate such behavior."
The Lithuanian military said that two Russian military aircraft briefly entered the airspace of the Baltic country, a member of the EU and NATO, last night. In response, two Spanish Eurofighter jets based in Lithuania took to the air.
When asked if the Russian planes should have been shot down in such a case, Ruginenė replied that "we are ready to do it in extreme cases, but for now we have stabilized the situation this way."
The Lithuanian military said that the two Russian planes penetrated about 700 meters into Lithuanian airspace and remained there for about 18 seconds. Moscow denied the accusations.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own fighter jets, and NATO has been guarding the airspace of the Baltic states since 2004. The allies regularly rotate fighter jets and personnel in the Baltic states bordering Russia in northeastern Europe, DPA recalls.