Moscow refutes allegations of entering Lithuania’s airspace
(MENAFN) Russia’s Defense Ministry has dismissed recent claims that its military aircraft violated Lithuanian airspace, a pattern echoed in accusations from other NATO and EU countries in recent weeks.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda alleged on Thursday that a Russian Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 transport plane had flown 700 meters into Lithuania. In response, two Spanish Eurofighter jets, stationed under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, were reportedly scrambled.
In a post on X, Nauseda called the incident “a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania” and described it as “reckless and dangerous behavior.” “We have to react to this,” he added.
Moscow countered the allegations, asserting that the aircraft were conducting routine training exercises over the Kaliningrad Region and “did not deviate from their route or violate the borders of other states.” The ministry cited “objective control data” to support its statement.
These remarks come amid a surge of similar accusations by several European and NATO members, all of which Moscow has rejected as unfounded, pointing to a consistent lack of evidence.
Earlier this month, reports indicated that the European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution urging EU nations to shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace. NATO officials have also reportedly discussed loosening engagement rules and preparing for potential confrontations with Russia.
Russian authorities have warned that any attack on their planes would be treated as an act of war, describing the heightened rhetoric as an effort to justify increased defense spending and fuel anti-Russian sentiment across Europe. Moscow has reiterated that it harbors no aggressive intentions toward NATO or the EU but stressed that any hostile action would be met with “a resolute response.”
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