Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesNato fighter pilots have shot down a drone that entered Lithuania’s airspace overnight, the Lithuaninan president said.
Authorities said the drone likely entered southern Lithuania, near the second-largest city of Kaunas, from Belarus shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda wrote in a statement on X: “A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets.”
The origins of the drone are yet to be determined, a spokesperson for the Lithuanian national crisis management centre said.
Drone alerts sounded across the capital Vilnius and surrounding region earlier on Tuesday.
Nausėda’s post on social media added: “With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace.”
Lithuania shares a large part of its southern and eastern border with Belarus, a key Russian ally.
Military drone incursions have become increasingly common across Europe since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale of invasion of Ukraine.
