Lithuanian military says Russian aircraft did not violate airspace

The Russian aircraft identified by Italian fighter jets did not violate Lithuanian airspace, the Lithuanian military told LRT, correcting reports in the Italian media.

Italian media had reported that two Russian military aircraft entered Lithuanian airspace and that Italian fighters were scrambled from Šiauliai airfield on Thursday evening. However, Lithuanian military representative Aleksandras Seliukas said the aircraft flew from Kaliningrad into international airspace.

“What is currently being reported in the Italian media does not entirely correspond to reality. Yes, the fighters were scrambled from Šiauliai air base, but the Russian aircraft definitely did not violate Lithuanian airspace,” Seliukas told LRT Radio.

He said such incidents were routine. Russian aircraft often do not communicate, and Lithuanian radars detect signals from aircraft without transponders. Italian aircraft are then scrambled from Šiauliai to identify and escort them in order to protect Lithuania’s airspace.

The operation was coordinated through NATO’s Joint Air Operations Centre in Germany.

Two Eurofighter F-2000 fighters from the Italian Air Force’s Baltic Thunder III Air Operations Group took off from Šiauliai airfield late Thursday afternoon as part of NATO’s air-policing mission on the Alliance’s eastern flank.