A drone entered Lithuanian airspace before NATO fighter jets shot it down, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in the early hours of Tuesday. The incident prompted officials to emphasize the alliance’s readiness to respond to potential airspace violations.
Nauseda thanked NATO for what he called its “swift response.” In a post on X, he said Russia’s intensifying aggression against Ukraine made such readiness vital for the region and said Lithuania would defend its airspace together with its NATO allies.
Lithuanian national broadcaster LRT cited preliminary information from the National Crisis Management Center indicating that the drone came from neighboring Belarus. According to the report, it was heading west when it was shot down.
LRT also reported that the drone fell in a rural area near Lake Kaunas, in central Lithuania. The supplied reports did not provide information about possible damage, casualties or the drone’s purpose.
Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the NATO response sent “a clear message that NATO stands vigilant, committed, and ready.” Lithuania borders both Belarus and Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.
The feed excerpt said Lithuania has reported frequent drone incursions since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. It also said similar incursions have been common in neighboring NATO members Latvia and Estonia. The source material does not state whether officials attributed this particular drone to Russia or Belarus.