Two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon fighters, deployed at the Lithuanian Siauliai air base as part of the surveillance operation in the Baltic, have participated in a military operation when two Russian fighters violated Lithuanian airspace this Thursday, as confirmed by NATO sources.
The president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nuaseda, has denounced that “Russian military aircraft have violated the airspace” of his country. Nuaseda has pointed out that “it is a flagrant violation of international law and the territorial integrity of Lithuania.” “Once again, it confirms the importance of strengthening the preparation of European air defense.”
The Lithuanian president has assured that his country's Foreign Ministry will “summon representatives of the Russian embassy to protest against this reckless and dangerous behavior.”
As reported by the Lithuanian army, when the Russian fighters were detected, the Lithuanian forces “acted quickly with NATO patrol aircraft. Lithuania remains strong and ready. Every inch of our country is protected. Russia must stop its aggressive behavior, respect international law and the borders of neighboring states.”
Furthermore, the Lithuanian army has explained that “Russian SU-30 and IL-78 aircraft crossed approximately 700 meters into Lithuanian territory near Kybartai, remaining in our airspace for 18 seconds.”
A spokesperson for the Atlantic Alliance added that “this is another demonstration of NATO's readiness to respond to any eventuality and its ability to guarantee the security of the Alliance's airspace.”
During September tensions between the European Union and Russia soared. In less than two weeks there have been several incidents caused by Russian drones and planes that have violated the airspace of European countries border areas with the consequent response of NATO armed forces.
Since 2004, Spain has participated in the 'Persistent Effort: Baltic air police' mission in which NATO aircraft carry out surveillance and control missions in the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. On August 1, eight Eurofighters were deployed as part of the mission in Lithuania.