Italy has put Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in the air to intercept unidentified aircraft flying in Baltic airspace, the Italian Defense Ministry said.

The Italian fighters flew from the Šiauliai base in northern Lithuania after receiving an order from a NATO surveillance center in Germany, the ministry added. However, the ministry did not give any details about which planes were spotted.

The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are members of the U.S.-led NATO alliance and have sharply criticized neighboring Russia over the war in Ukraine. Italy led NATO's Baltic mission in early August.