The president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, warned this Monday that a drone that entered the country’s airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets, in an episode that occurs amid a series of incidents with unmanned aircraft in countries near the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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The president indicated that the device was probably of Russian origin and highlighted the reaction of the allied forces deployed in Lithuanian territory.
“A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighters. I thank the allied personnel for their quick response,” Nausėda said.
Regarding this, he indicated that the episode occurs while Russia increases its attacks against Ukraine.
“With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, that preparation is vital for our region. Together with our NATO allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace,” he stated.
During the early morning, Lithuanian authorities activated an alert due to the presence of a drone and sent warnings to residents of Vilnius, Trakai, and Elektrėnai. According to initial reports, the device had entered from the Belarus area.
Also, on Sunday, the nation located in northeastern Europe had activated another air alert due to an alleged drone incursion.
It was at Vilnius airport, which had to temporarily suspend its operations, and NATO sent fighters to investigate the object detected in Lithuanian airspace. However, after a visual inspection, the pilot determined that the radar signals corresponded to a flock of birds.
It is worth noting that the recent episode occurs in a context of increasing drone activity in the airspace of NATO countries close to Russia and Ukraine.
On August 14, an Italian Eurofighter integrated into the NATO mission shot down a drone that had entered the airspace of Latvia. Two other Turkish F-16s were also deployed during the incident.
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The origin of the device could not be initially established, although Latvian authorities indicated that its entry could be related to Russian electronic interference.
Before that event, in May, a military-type drone had entered Estonian airspace, where it was shot down by a Romanian F-16 participating in the NATO air surveillance mission. That event, along with other similar incidents in the region, led the Alliance to expand the powers of its air mission in the Baltic countries.
In July, NATO agreed to transform the traditional Baltic Air Policing mission into an air defense operation, expanding the scope of action of the fighters deployed in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to neutralize objects that represent a threat.
The episodes in the Baltic add to other incidents recorded in recent days in countries near the conflict.
On Sunday, a Russian drone hit a passenger train in Ukrainian territory, near the border with Poland, a NATO member.
The attack occurred shortly after a diplomatic train passed through the area carrying, among others, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.
The same context led the Polish government to report this Monday the discovery of a suspicious military drone on the Baltic Sea coast. The Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, announced the discovery and indicated that authorities are working to determine its characteristics, origin, and purpose.
Similar events have also been recorded during September in Moldova and Romania. According to Reuters, two Russian drones recently entered Moldovan airspace; one fell and caused a fire near the capital, while another continued towards Romania, which even forced a temporary modification of air operations in Moldova.
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