Nato jets shoot down drone that flew into Lithuanian airspace – BBC News
BBC Homepage
Skip to content
Accessibility Help
Your account
Home
News
Sport
Earth
Reel
Worklife
Travel
Culture
Future
Music
TV
Weather
Sounds
Close menu
BBC News
- Home
- Climate
- World
- UK
- Business
- Tech
- Science
- Entertainment & Arts
- Health
- In Pictures
- More
BBC Verify
Newsbeat
World
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia
- Europe
- Latin America
- Middle East
- US & Canada
Nato jets down drone that entered Lithuanian airspace
Image source: AFP via Getty Images
Published 7 minutes ago
Nato fighter pilots have shot down a drone that entered Lithuania’s airspace overnight, according to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
Authorities indicate the drone likely flew in from Belarus and entered southern Lithuania near the city of Kaunas shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
In a statement on X, Nausėda wrote:
"A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets."
The origins of the drone remain under investigation, as per a spokesperson for the Lithuanian national crisis management center.
Drone alerts were triggered across Vilnius and surrounding areas earlier in the day on Tuesday.
Nausėda added on social media:
"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 significant portion of its southern and eastern border with Belarus, a key Russian ally.
Military drone incursions have become increasingly frequent across Europe since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
