Lithuania suspends Vilnius flights after NATO shoots down drone over its airspace

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania after it entered the country's airspace from neighbouring Belarus, according to the Lithuanian president. The drone was brought down by Italian NATO fighter jets near Kaunas. A resident's security camera captured the interception. Debris was scattered over a wide area and military police are collecting and examining it. The drone was in Lithuanian airspace for about half an hour before it was shot down. In Vilnius, a phone alert warned of a suspected drone just after midnight. An all clear came about 20 minutes later. Investigators do not yet know who launched the drone, whether it was deliberate or strayed, or whether it was armed with explosives.

The UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said on X that Lithuanian and Italian forces had acted swiftly and professionally. He said NATO had once again demonstrated its readiness to protect airspace and that allies stood united in defence of every inch of NATO territory.

Lithuania's Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told Newsnight that citizens in Lithuania and the Baltic states were constantly threatened. People receive yellow or red alerts telling them to go to shelters when drones fly in. He said Lithuania would fight back if attacked and would not surrender. He also said evacuation plans exist, including priority groups such as elderly and disabled people, routes out of cities, and plans to manage traffic. He described drones flying in with 10 kilograms of explosives and said jets have to be used to hit them. After the interview, reports said Vilnius Airport had suspended flights amid ongoing drone activity in the area.

The incident is the latest security scare in the Baltic states since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is the first time NATO jets have shot down a drone over Lithuania, according to one summary. Officials have not said whether the drone was Ukrainian or Russian. In recent months, Ukrainian drones have entered NATO airspace in the Baltic region. Kyiv says Russian signal jamming steered them off course. The drone's origin remains under investigation.

The shootdown came alongside other incidents. Denmark said a Russian frigate fired two flares at a Danish military helicopter off its coast on Monday. The flares narrowly missed the aircraft, which had been photographing the ship. Russia's ambassador to Denmark was summoned. Moscow accused Danish helicopters of dangerous manoeuvres near its warships. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she called Russia's reckless and dangerous behaviour. She said the incidents were not isolated and formed part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe, testing readiness and resolve. She said the EU was reinforcing deterrence and defence with NATO and stepping up pressure on Russia.

Poland's Foreign Minister Władysław Sikorski said Lithuania's authorities should give their considered view on whose drone it was. But he said Poland had seen something much bigger in July, when a Russian cruise missile entered Polish airspace by 100 kilometres. Poland was confident that was a deliberate incursion and an attempt at intimidation. He listed other alleged Russian actions, including arson in Poland, an attempt to blow up a moving train, attacks on border crossings in Moldova and Romania, and drones crossing into Poland, Romania and now Lithuania. He also mentioned a drone found washed up on Poland's shore, which officials thought might have been lost during an exercise.

Other reporting pointed to a wider pattern. A diplomatic correspondent said there had been numerous drone incursions into NATO territory in recent years. The key question was whether the Lithuanian drone was a spillover from the war or a deliberate deployment by Russian forces to test NATO airspace and defences. Most people suspected the latter, although the origin had not been confirmed. The same day saw a clash between a Russian frigate and a Danish helicopter over the Baltic Sea, coordinated sabotage of Dutch railways, and Russian bombers reported over the Norwegian and Barents Sea. European leaders warned that Russia might launch an attack with drones or missiles on NATO territory in the coming months.

Analysts debated how NATO should respond. A former US defence official said Russia was trying to intimidate and scare Europe, and that the recent attack on a Ukrainian train was an escalation. He said more incidents could come and NATO planners needed to find ways to deter Russia without escalating the conflict. He noted the cost problem of using expensive fighter jets and missiles to shoot down cheap drones, but said NATO still had to act to show unity. He added that Russia was skilled at operating in the grey area and that Western countries needed to connect the dots publicly and treat the incidents as a campaign, not one-off events.

In the UK, the chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee said Russia was an aggressive imperialist neighbour with expansionist ambitions. He said European nations needed to invest more in defence and deterrence, especially with the new US administration less focused on European security. A former UK national security adviser said the Russian threat had intensified, with drones breaching NATO frontiers, daily cyber attacks, assassinations, and threats to undersea cables. He said the British public did not fully appreciate the seriousness, and that Russia was testing NATO's integrity and resolve.

Lithuania borders the heavily militarised Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The country and its Baltic neighbours have been on edge as Russia's war in Ukraine continues. The shootdown, the airport suspension, and the warnings from European leaders have added to concerns that the conflict and Russia's hybrid campaign are spilling over NATO's borders. Investigations into the drone are continuing.