A drone allegedly linked to the war in Ukraine was shot down for the first time over the territory of a NATO member country after entering the airspace of NATO from Belarus during the early hours of Tuesday. The aircraft flew over the country for about 30 minutes and passed near Vilnius, the capital, before being intercepted by Italian fighter jets deployed in the region as part of the alliance's air policing mission.
Lithuanian authorities indicated that they began to recover the remains of the drone to determine its origin and establish the exact circumstances of its entry into national airspace. According to available information, the aircraft reportedly entered from Belarusian territory and was visually identified by allied planes as a possible threat before being shot down.
The Lithuanian state broadcaster reported that the drone was flying near populated areas before being destroyed. Ultimately, its remains fell in the Kaišiadorys district, located approximately 100 kilometers west of Vilnius. The incident raised concerns among residents, who reported loud noises, unusual lights, and explosions during the night.
A Russian drone participating in the war in Ukraine was shot down in Lithuania before it could crash into civilian residences
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed the shootdown and thanked the intervention of allied forces. The president emphasized that the increasing intensity of Russia's war against Ukraine makes it essential to maintain a high military readiness in the region.
''A drone that had just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets,'' Nausėda stated, assuring that Lithuania will continue to defend its airspace alongside its allies.
The Italian Eurofighter jets that participated in the operation are part of NATO's air surveillance system deployed in the Baltic countries. Their intervention allowed for the neutralization of the aircraft after it remained for several minutes within Lithuanian airspace.
The president of Lithuania assured that his administration will continue to defend the country's airspace
The head of the Lithuanian Air Force, Colonel Antanas Matutis, defended the authorities' response amid criticism regarding the drone's proximity to Vilnius before it was shot down. The military explained that Lithuania is not in a state of war and that, under current legislation, its forces cannot automatically shoot down any unknown object entering the airspace.
Matutis acknowledged that detection and response procedures could be improved but noted that initially there was not enough data to determine if the aircraft was carrying explosives or if it targeted a specific point in Lithuanian territory.
The incident also raised questions about the emergency response. A resident who witnessed the shootdown in Kaišiadorys stated that authorities sent an alert to mobile phones in the area, but the warning arrived almost an hour after the incident had ended.
For its part, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry announced that it will send a diplomatic note to Belarus since the drone reportedly entered from its airspace. However, Vilnius indicated that it will wait to know the exact origin of the aircraft before taking further measures.
A squadron of Italian fighter jets had to take off to intercept the strange object in Lithuanian airspace, as there was a risk of it impacting civilian positions
