Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced that NATO fighter jets shot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace, at a time when the alliance is increasingly on edge over spillover from the Russia-Ukraine war.
Nauseda didnât identify who the drone belonged to, but was quick to cast the blame on Russia. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry specifically thanked Italian pilots for their âswift and responsible responseâ in neutralizing the threat.
âA drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets. I thank Allied personnel for their swift response,â Nauseda said in a post on X.
âWith Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace,â he added.
The head of Lithuaniaâs National Crisis Management Center, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, confirmed on LRT radio that the drone had crossed into Lithuanian territory from Belarus.
The location of the drone incursion is especially notable, as sources told the Lithuanian outlet Lrytas that the drone was downed near a village close to the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant, the only such facility in the Baltic states, and one responsible for 94% of Lithuaniaâs total energy reserves needed for emergencies.
Just last month, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry had warned that Russia could use redirected Ukrainian drones to attack critical infrastructure, singling out the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant as a top target, along with the Klaipeda LNG terminal, the LitPol Link electricity interconnector, and a major transformer substation in the Alytus district.
Lithuanian air defenses have been on a hair trigger recently. Just yesterday, the alert was sounded after radar picked up suspicious targets near Vilnius Airport, diverting three flights. The targets ended up being a flight of birds.
The Baltics, the most hawkish NATO members against Russia, have become a prime target for spillover from the war in Ukraine.
LATVIAN GOVERNMENT COLLAPSES OVER FALLOUT FROM TWO UKRAINIAN DRONES CRASHING IN ITS TERRITORY
In May, two Ukrainian drones, presumably intended for Russia, crossed into Latvian airspace. One hit an empty fuel storage tank, while another hit the ground harmlessly. The incident sparked an uproar, as the governmentâs response was considered delayed and inadequate. The drones impacted near the city of Rezekne, located nearly 40 miles from the Russian border, yet they went undetected.
The resulting scandal triggered a collapse of the Latvian government.
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