Lithuania briefly placed parts of its capital region on alert Wednesday after the military reported possible drone activity near the border with Belarus, prompting residents of Vilnius to seek shelter and leading authorities to move President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene to safe locations.
The alert lasted about an hour and included the temporary closure of airspace over Vilnius airport. Lithuania’s parliament was also reportedly subject to an evacuation order. The military said NATO jets were instructed to detect and destroy the suspected drone, but no object was found over Lithuanian territory.
Officials said the incident appeared to involve activity detected in Belarusian airspace. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, said the object’s altitude and speed suggested it may have been a drone, possibly a combat drone or one designed to confuse defence systems. He added that authorities could not determine its exact type, origin or whether it carried explosives.
The incident reflects growing concern along NATO’s eastern flank as drone warfare linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increasingly affects neighbouring countries. Lithuania borders Belarus, a Russian ally, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance had responded calmly and proportionately to recent drone incidents, attributing the broader security challenge to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Foreign ministers from NATO countries are scheduled to meet in Sweden, where protection of the alliance’s eastern flank is expected to be discussed.
Recent weeks have seen several cases of Ukrainian drones crossing into or landing in NATO countries, with Western officials pointing to possible Russian electronic jamming. Russia has warned it may retaliate if Baltic states are involved in Ukrainian drone operations.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange large-scale aerial attacks. Ukraine said it shot down most of 154 Russian drones launched overnight, though several caused civilian casualties. Ukraine also reported strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.