NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace on Monday evening, according to the country's National Crisis Management Centre. The drone had entered Lithuanian territory from neighboring Belarus.
An urgent warning was transmitted to mobile phones in Vilnius, Trakai, and Elektrėnai shortly after midnight local time. The drone was intercepted and destroyed by NATO forces approximately thirty minutes after the alert was issued. This marks the first instance of a drone being shot down within Lithuanian borders.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated on X, formerly Twitter, that the drone was "destroyed by NATO fighter jets." He expressed gratitude for the "swift response" from Allied personnel, emphasizing that "With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region." He concluded, "Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace."
Belarus, led by Alexander Lukashenko, remains a close ally of Russia and supports its military actions in Ukraine.
The incident occurred the day after former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly narrowly avoided a Russian drone that struck a train shortly after his passage. Johnson was traveling on a private train that accelerated to reach Poland after a drone, detected hundreds of kilometers away, was identified.