Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has issued a statement on the social media platform X regarding a violation of Lithuania’s airspace by Russian military aircraft on Thursday evening. He condemned this infringement as a significant breach of Lithuania’s territorial integrity, which is a member of both the European Union and NATO. In response, Lithuania’s foreign ministry intends to formally summon representatives of the Russian Embassy in Vilnius to protest this violation.
“This evening, Russian military planes violated Lithuanian air space. This is a blatant breach of international law and of Lithuania’s territorial integrity. Once again, it confirms the importance of strengthening European air defence readiness. @LithuaniaMFA will summon Russian embassy representatives to protest against reckless and dangerous behaviour,” posted President Nausėda.
The Baltic states are increasingly concerned about Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, particularly in light of several recent incidents involving drone activities and airspace breaches by Russian warplanes, The Associated Press notes. These developments have heightened apprehensions that President Vladimir Putin may be testing NATO’s defensive responses. While some leaders have depicted these actions as a form of hybrid warfare in Europe, the Russian government denies any intent to probe NATO’s defences.
