Nato member Lithuania protests airspace incursion denied by Russia
Two Spanish fighter jets, which had been doing Nato air policing missions, were scrambled and flew out to the area
Lithuania summoned a Russian diplomat in protest over what it said was the entry of two Russian planes into its airspace on Thursday, though Moscow denied any such violation.
A Sukhoi SU-30 fighter and an IL-78 tanker from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad passed through Lithuanian airspace for 700 metres (2,300 feet) before leaving it after 18 seconds, probably during aerial refuelling training, according to a short statement from the Nato member country’s military.
Later Thursday, the Lithuanian foreign ministry said it had summoned the charge d’affaires from the Russian embassy and issued a “strong protest”.
Vilnius urged Russia to “immediately explain” the reasons for the violation of Lithuanian airspace and to take “all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future”, the statement said.
Russia’s defence ministry later denied the incursion had taken place.
“The flights were conducted in strict compliance with the rules for using airspace above Russian territory. The aircraft did not deviate from their route and did not violate the borders of other states,” it said on Telegram.
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