Nato scrambles fighter jets after Russian planes violate Lithuania’s airspace in ‘blatant breach’
Russia makes ‘blatant breach’ of airspace as Nato scrambles jets
![Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets were scrambled [stock image]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/07/23/10/Turkey-Britain-Eurofighter_12527.jpg)
- Russian military aircraft, an Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 refuelling tanker, violated Lithuanian airspace for approximately 18 seconds on Thursday.
- Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda condemned the incident as a "blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity" and summoned Russia's top diplomat to issue a formal protest.
- NATO's Baltic Air Police scrambled Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets in response, demonstrating the Alliance's readiness to secure its airspace.
- Russia's defence ministry denied the incident, stating that none of its jets training in the Kaliningrad region violated any country's territory.
- This incursion follows a series of alleged Russian airspace violations in other NATO member states, including Estonia, Poland, Romania and Denmark.