Lithuania confirms crashed drone was Ukrainian

Lithuania Drone Incursion Sends Leaders and Residents to Shelters

A suspected drone entering Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on Wednesday triggered the first air alert in an EU and NATO capital to order civilian shelters since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, forcing President Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, and members of parliament into bunkers while Vilnius Airport suspended flights and train services were halted.washingtonpost

The alert, sent to mobile phones at around 10:20 a.m. local time, read: “Air raid alert! Go immediately to a shelter or a safe place, take care of your family members and wait for further instructions”. Within minutes, residents across the capital descended into basements and underground parking garages. “I got dressed and went down to the basement,” photographer Andrej Vasilenko told AFP. “My child was at school and had gone down into a shelter, so I felt reassured. It was strange, but at the same time so many people in Ukraine have been living with this for four years”.euronews

NATO Response and Failed Intercept

The Lithuanian military said it detected a radar signal in Belarusian airspace “with characteristics typical of an unmanned aerial vehicle,” prompting the activation of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. Fighter jets were scrambled but failed to locate the drone, which disappeared from radar near the town of Merkinė. The Belarusian military had itself warned Latvia and Lithuania about a potential UAV heading toward their territory, Lithuanian Land Forces Commander Nerijus Stankevičius said at a press conference.baltictimes

The alert was lifted at around 11:00 a.m. after roughly an hour, though two flights had already been redirected to Riga Airport. A yellow alert was briefly introduced in the Alytus district before also being cancelled.euronews

Search Continues as PM Acknowledges Failures

As of Thursday morning, the Lithuanian military had still not found the drone and was continuing its search. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas called on European countries to adapt to incidents involving stray drones. Ruginienė said after a meeting of the National Security Commission that municipalities would now be required to ensure shelters remain accessible around the clock. The prime minister also apologized for communication failures during the alert.eurointegration

The incident follows a pattern of drone incursions across the Baltic states linked to Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russian targets. Just days earlier, on May 17, a suspected Ukrainian drone was found crashed in Lithuania’s Utena district, with explosive substances confirmed at the site. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Russia and Belarus bore “direct responsibility” for drone incidents on the bloc’s eastern flank, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the drones were ultimately a consequence of “the reckless, illegal, full-scale attack of Russia”.reuters