NATO fighter jets shot down a drone after it entered Lithuanian airspace, Lithuania’s president said, highlighting renewed tensions along the alliance’s eastern flank.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all NATO members bordering Russia, have reported repeated drone incursions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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“A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets,” Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X.
“With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region,” he added.
The drone came down in a rural area near Lake Kaunas, in central Lithuania, the broadcaster reported.
Watch: Debris seen after drone downed by NATO jets in Lithuania
The NKVC said an Italian NATO fighter jet intercepted and shot down the drone shortly after midnight.
A spokesperson for the centre said officials had not yet established where the drone originated. They also did not say whether it was thought to be Ukrainian or Russian.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said, however, that the drone had “most probably” come from Russia.
Authorities issued a drone alert earlier in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, and the surrounding area.
The Lithuanian army released video from the crash site showing fragments spread across the grass.
Some of the debris appeared wooden, while other pieces showed signs of burning.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys thanked allies on X, saying their “presence helps protect our skies and strengthens our security”.
“This is best example of Allied unity and resolve in action – sending a clear message that NATO stands vigilant, committed, and ready,” he added.
Fighter aircraft assigned to NATO’s Baltic Air Defence mission have patrolled the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since the three countries joined the alliance in 2004.
In May, a NATO fighter shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia, marking the first interception of a foreign drone in a Baltic state’s airspace by NATO’s air police since the war began.
Ukrainian drones have entered NATO airspace in the Baltic region several times in recent months.
Ukraine says Russian signal jamming caused the drones to veer off course.
Poland commences ‘aviation operations’ due to Russian activity
Poland also said it had begun “aviation operations” in its airspace “due to the activity of Russian Federation’s jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory”.
Polish officials said the measures were “preventive” and intended to “secure airspace and its protection, especially in areas adjacent to threatened regions”.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda confirmed the drone had entered Lithuanian airspace
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader living in exile, condemned the incident.
“We refuse to accept our country being turned into a source of danger to Europe,” Ms Tikhanovskaya wrote on X. “Lasting security requires a sovereign, democratic Belarus whose territory is never used against its neighbours.”
Countries along NATO’s eastern flank have faced a series of hostile acts linked to Russia and Belarus in recent months, including drone incursions and cyberattacks.
A NATO fighter shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia in May, the first interception of a foreign drone in the airspace of a Baltic state by NATO’s air police since the war began.
European officials say Russia has been diverting Ukrainian drones intended to strike industrial facilities and oil terminals in the Saint Petersburg region, on the Gulf of Finland.
In early July, the Lithuanian president said he wanted his country to participate in Western nuclear deterrence against Russia.
Lithuania has since begun the process of lifting its constitutional ban on storing nuclear weapons on its territory.
Last Friday, Russia threatened to target Lithuania with nuclear warheads if the Baltic state allowed weapons from the nuclear arsenals of its NATO allies to be stationed there.
Moscow turned the three Baltic countries into Soviet republics at the end of World War II. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, all three moved quickly to apply for membership of NATO and the EU.
