Lyce · Hybrid Watch

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NATO fighters intercept two Russian Su-30SM fighters operating from Kaliningrad over the Baltic Sea.

On 17 September 2026, NATO fighters were scrambled from the Baltic air-defence mission to identify two Russian Su-30SM multirole fighters. Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence states that the aircraft departed Kaliningrad Oblast, operated over international airspace and subsequently returned to Kaliningrad. Both Su-30SMs were flying without active transponders, without submitted flight plans and without radio communication with the regional air-traffic-control centre. Initial Italian media reports incorrectly suggested that Russian aircraft had penetrated Lithuanian national airspace, prompting the Lithuanian Armed Forces to publicly correct the reporting. A military spokesperson confirmed that NATO fighters had indeed been scrambled but stated explicitly that the Russian aircraft “definitely did not violate Lithuanian airspace” and had remained in international airspace while travelling toward or around Kaliningrad.

Occurrence
2026-09-17
Publication
2026-09-17
First observed
2026-10-05T14:29:15.028Z
Review status
Not assessed
Countries
LT, PL
Updated
2026-10-05T16:30:16.433Z

Attribution

Official

Facts

No facts

Sources

  1. Role
    discovery_lead
    Date
    2026-09-17T17:45:37Z

    On 17 September 2026, NATO fighters were scrambled from the Baltic air-defence mission to identify two Russian Su-30SM multirole fighters. Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence states that the aircraft departed Kaliningrad Oblast, operated over international airspace and subsequently returned to Kaliningrad. Both Su-30SMs were flying without active transponders, without submitted flight plans and without radio communication with the regional air-traffic-control centre. Initial Italian media reports incorrectly suggested that Russian aircraft had penetrated Lithuanian national airspace, prompting the Lithuanian Armed Forces to publicly correct the reporting. A military spokesperson confirmed that NATO fighters had indeed been scrambled but stated explicitly that the Russian aircraft “definitely did not violate Lithuanian airspace” and had remained in international airspace while travelling toward or around Kaliningrad.