A press conference between Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Spanish Prime Minister (PM) Pedro Sánchez on Thursday was interrupted when a pair of Spanish jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian jets flying over the Baltic Sea. The press conference was organised at the Siauliai North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) airbase in Lithuania as part of the Spanish PM’s three-day visit to the Baltic nations. The alarm rang three minutes into the conference, after which the ministers were escorted away for briefing.
As per news reports, the Spanish jets, stationed at the Siauliai airbase, were activated after two Russian Su-24 combat jets flew from Russia’s Kaliningrad region unannounced, without “filing flight plans, without their transponders on, and without responding to regional air traffic control.”
Once the press conference resumed, the Spanish PM said: “We have seen a real-life case of what happens, and precisely it justifies the presence of Spanish troops with the seven Eurofighters in Lithuania.” Likewise, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said, “This demonstrates once again the importance of NATO’s air policing mission, which has been running for 60 years to keep our skies safe. It also shows the skills of our pilots and the close coordination among NATO allies.”
In a tweet, the Lithuanian President hailed the cooperation between Lithuanian and Spanish forces and their ability to swiftly and effectively respond to air incursions. In addition, the President also thanked NATO for securing Baltic airspace and protecting the nation’s territorial integrity. He said, “I can confirm that the aircraft took off within less than 15 minutes. Thank you, Pedro, we’ve just witnessed how the air-policing mission works in reality. The qualification and readiness of your pilots give us no reason for doubt.”
However, the Russian Defence Ministry said, “The two Su-24 bombers were flying a regular training mission on Thursday over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.” The Ministry added that the jets were operating according to the international law on airspace and had not violated the borders of any country.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia joined NATO in 2004. Since then, the Organization has been responsible for monitoring Baltic airspace from Lithuania to Estonia on a four-month rotational period, as these three nations do not have their own fighter jets. As part of NATO’s Air Policing mission, Lithuania’s Siauliai air base has been accommodating seven Spanish Eurofighter jets since April 30. Apart from Lithuania, four Italian F-35 aircraft are stationed at Estonia’s Amari airbase.
NATO’s Baltic Air Policing is a peacetime mission that aims to preserve the security of allies’ airspace. Under the mission, fighter jets and crews are deployed throughout the year to counter any airspace violation. Reports suggest that the NATO forces in the Baltic intercept Russian jets at least twice a week. Last year, these fighter jets were scrambled at least 400 times in Europe to counter the movement of Russian aeroplanes.