Lithuania's army reported on Thursday that two Russian military aircraft had crossed the Lithuanian border, remaining in the NATO member state's airspace for 18 seconds.
The aircraft, a fighter jet and a tanker, flew 700 meters (nearly half a mile) into Lithuania from the Kaliningrad region.
The Lithianian air force detected the Russian SU-30 and IL-78 aircraft near Kybartai at around 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).
Two Spanish air force Eurofighters were scrambled in response to the incursion.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called the move a "blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania" in a post on X that said it "confirms the importance of strengthening European air defense readiness."
Nauseda's post also noted that Vilnius' Foreign Ministry would summon Russian embassy representatives to protest Russia's "reckless and dangerous behavior."
The Russia's Ministry of Defense on Thursday confirmed that its planes were in the air but denied they had entered Lithuanian airspace, albeit without mentioning the Baltic nation by name.
In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said, "SU-30 fighters carried out a planned training flight over Russia's Baltic Kaliningrad region and violated no borders of other countries."
"The flights took place in strict observance of the rules of using airspace over the territory of the Russian Federation, did not deviate from their flight route and did not violate the borders of other states, which was confirmed by objective control means," the statement continued.
