Canada has sent four F-18 Hornet fighter jets to Lithuania for an air policing mission in the Baltics

The jets landed landed at the aviation base in Siauliai on Tuesday.

Baltic officials say they have seen an increase of Russian jets flying near their air space this year amid the crisis in the Ukraine.

The deployment will be the first time Canadians patrol Baltic skies. Canadian forces have been deployed to augment the contingency of the Portuguese Air Force which will be taking over NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission September 1.

The Baltic airspace will be patrolled for four months by Portuguese, Canadian, German and Dutch air forces, ELTA reports.

Portugal and Canada will station its aircraft in Siauliai, while Germany in Estonia's Amari Air Base and the Netherlands in Malbork Air Base in Poland.

A total of four Polish jets augmented by four British jets are ensuring the security of the Baltic airspace from Lithuania, NATO says.