Lithuania has no evidence of deliberate violation of Russian airspace, - Advisor to Nausėda Matulionis
The Lithuanian authorities are still unable to confirm that Russian fighter jets deliberately violated the country's border last week.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to LRT.
As noted, two Russian military aircraft—an SU-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 refueling aircraft—took off from the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and crossed Lithuanian territory at a distance of about 700 meters on the evening of October 23, remaining there for approximately 18 seconds.
"Of course, one could say that this was a deliberate test, but on the other hand, we have no clear evidence of this. The intrusion was very brief," said Deividas Matulionis, senior advisor to the Lithuanian president on national security.
He added: "However, I would not exaggerate the situation or claim that it was definitely a test."
According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the aircraft were likely conducting mid-air refueling training exercises.
What preceded it
On October 23, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced that a Russian Su-30 aircraft and an Il-78 refueling aircraft flew over Lithuanian territory at an altitude of approximately 700 meters for 18 seconds that evening.
Two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, which are performing NATO air patrol missions, were scrambled to intercept the Russian aircraft. They are currently continuing their air patrols.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called the incident "a flagrant violation of international law and territorial integrity."
