On October 10 Lithuanian Navy Control Centre of the Lithuanian Armed Forces which conducts uninterrupted monitoring of the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania recorded warships of the Russian Federation indicate six civilian ships in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania to alter their route because of naval exercise in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation.

LNS Dzūkas (P12) of the Lithuanian Navy was dispatched in response to the situation to patrol Lithuania’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone and to record potential violations of civilian shipping that warships of the Russian Federation could commit. It detected and visually identified two Russian warships in the Lithuanian exclusive economic zone and gave a warning via radio contact on their actions in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania.

In the evening of October 10 LNS Dzūkas detected that the Russian warships retired from the exclusive economic zone of Lithuania to the exclusive economic zone of Russia.

LNS Dzūkas stayed patrolling and controlling the Lithuanian exclusive economic zone until 11.00 a.m. of October 11, then it was replaced by the guard ship, LNS Sūduvis (M52) which stayed until midnight. No more Russian ships or suspicious objects were detected.

Russia notified on the naval drills it holds on October 6-14, 2016, and presence of locations dangerous for shipping in its exclusive economic zone via the website for notifications regarding navigation in the Baltic Sea.

It is the third time this year that warship of the Russian Federation direct civilian ships in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania away from their routes because of naval drills in the exclusive economic zone of Russia. The Lithuanian Armed Forces recorded five such cases in 2015.

Foreign ships, including warships, are allowed to transit the exclusive economic zone of Lithuania as long as Lithuania’s coastal rights and obligations are observed. Such activities of the Russian Federation as disruption of economic activities in Lithuania’s waters violates the Convention on the Law of the Sea and principle of good neighbourliness.

POC: PAO for the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Captain Tomas Pakalniškis, 00370 657 61 271