A NATO fighter jet shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle in Lithuania shortly after midnight, the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Center announced.
The drone, which is believed to have likely entered Lithuanian airspace from the direction of Belarus, was shot down near the village of Pratkunai, in southern Lithuania, not far from Kaunas, the Baltic country’s second-largest city, the center clarified. Its origin is not yet clear. Earlier, an alert had been issued in the capital, Vilnius, and its surrounding areas.
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Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated via X: “I thank the Alliance’s personnel for their immediate response.”
“With Russia intensifying its attack on Ukraine, this readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace,” she added.
NATO fighter jets and other aircraft are patrolling the skies over Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia after the three Baltic states—once part of the Soviet Union—joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004.
Aircraft from the NATO mission shot down Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in Estonian airspace in May and in Latvian airspace in June and August.
The incursion of military drones into the airspace of countries bordering Russia raises concerns about the spread of the war it is waging against Ukraine.
Kyiv is stepping up attacks with long-range unmanned aerial vehicles against Russia, targeting, among other areas, regions along the Russian Baltic coast. Several Ukrainian drones have ended up in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
The Ukrainian side blames Moscow, emphasizing that Russian electronic warfare systems are responsible.
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Source: KYPE
