Italian fighter jet shoots down suspected drone over Lithuania
Lithuanian officials said the device entered from Belarus and carried an explosive, but its origin and operator remained under examination.
An Italian fighter jet operating on a NATO mission shot down a suspected drone after it entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on Tuesday, according to Lithuania’s national crisis management centre.
The drone was brought down near Pratkunai, north of Kaunas. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the device carried an explosive and that investigators were examining its debris to determine whether it came from Russia or another country.
The incident has added to European security concerns amid the Russia–Ukraine war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described it as part of a pattern of “aggression and provocation” against Europe, while Germany’s foreign minister blamed Russia and said NATO members would not be intimidated.
The drone incident followed a Danish allegation that flares were fired at a military helicopter monitoring a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea. It also came after reported Russian drone strikes near the Polish border, prompting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to pledge more support for Ukraine.
Lithuania has not established the drone’s type, operator, precise flight path or whether its entry was deliberate. Russian officials had not immediately commented, while the examination of the debris continued.
