In the morning of September 15, Sea and Coastal Surveillance Centre of the Lithuanian Navy detected a warship of the Russian Federation while conducting 24-7 surveillance of the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania in the Baltic Sea.
The Russian warship was directing civilian vessel Lavinia, which was sailing in the exclusive economic zone of Lithuania, to change her route due to a missile exercise in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation.
LNS Aukštaitis (P14) patrol boat of the Lithuanian Navy was dispatched to monitor further conduct of the Russian warships in response to the situation and detected three ships of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania, BF Kalmykia (Parchim class corvette), BF Aleksandr Shabalin (Ropucha class landing ship) and BF Dimitrovgrad (Tarantul class missile motor boat).
LNS Aukštaitis (P14) contacted the vessels guarding the submarine power cable being laid between Lithuania and Sweden and received a confirmation that the Russian warships were not disturbing their activities.
Foreign ships, including military, are allowed to transit Lithuania’s exclusive economic zone and territorial waters of the Baltic Sea if they respect rights of and obligations to the coastal country and do not interfere with its exclusive rights in the exclusive economic zone. The activity of the Russian Federation, however, restricted economic activities of Lithuania in its exclusive economic zone and therefore contravened regulations of the International Convention on the Law of the Sea and the spirit of good neighborly relations.
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Image: Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania