NATO fighters, deployed on a rotation basis at the Lithuanian air base Zokniai, escorted Russian warplanes six times during February this year. This assertion is contained in the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense report on the situation in the airspace of the country, published on Monday
According to the ministry, Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighters on duty in Lithuania rose into the air in February to escort Russian planes six times. According to the report, from February 8 to 14, no such escort, which is a routine procedure at the country’s air borders, was required.
Russian military aircraft escorted in neutral airspace near Lithuania’s borders perform flights to and from the Kaliningrad region in different identification modes: according to a pre-agreed flight plan with a transponder turned on and communication with ground control centres, as well as in total silence mode.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has repeatedly stated that flights by Russian military aircraft are carried out over neutral waters in strict compliance with international rules on the use of airspace.