The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday, September 18, that two Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft violated the country's airspace on Saturday, September 16, during the Russian-Belarusian exercises "Zapad-2017", Interfax reports.

According to the ministry, the incident occurred late in the evening of September 16, when two Il-76s flying from the mainland of Russia to the Kaliningrad region entered Lithuanian airspace and remained there for about two minutes.

In connection with the incident on Monday, the Russian ambassador to Lithuania Alexander Udaltsov was summoned. He was handed a corresponding note. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry also demanded that the responsible Russian agencies provide explanations regarding this incident as soon as possible.

On Monday, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite complained to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the Zapad-2017 exercises. Grybauskaite said that, in her opinion, the maneuvers simulate a real conflict with NATO countries. In addition, the president criticized the "hidden scale and scenarios of the exercises." According to her, all this speaks "to the aggressive and offensive nature of the Zapad exercises," RIA Novosti writes.

The Zapad-2017 joint strategic exercises are the final stage of joint training of the armed forces of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin observed one of the stages of the maneuvers at the Luga training ground in the Leningrad Region.

Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Accuses Two Russian Il-76s of Violating Airspace