Air raid alert in Vilnius region lifted

The air raid alert issued for the Vilnius region on Tuesday morning has been lifted, Lithuania’s military announced, following reports of a suspected drone near the country’s border.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lithuania’s armed forces stated that radar had detected an object with characteristics of an unmanned aerial vehicle near the border, prompting the activation of a NATO air policing mission. Vilnius Airport temporarily closed its airspace as a precaution.

Residents in Ignalina, Utena, Švenčionys, and Zarasai districts had initially received a yellow-level air threat warning. The alert was later escalated to a red-level warning for the entire Vilnius region, with authorities urging people to seek shelter. The National Crisis Management Centre emphasised that schools and kindergartens were required to move children to bomb shelters.

The military confirmed that the radar signature was detected in Belarusian airspace, leading to the NATO response. Recent weeks have seen multiple drone incidents across Lithuania and neighbouring Baltic states, as well as Finland.

On Sunday, an unmanned aircraft crashed in the village of Samanė, Utena district. Authorities suspect it was a Ukrainian drone carrying explosives, which were neutralised the following day. In March, another Ukrainian military drone, reportedly disrupted by Russian electronic warfare, crashed near the Belarusian border in Varėna district.

Last week, a drone entering Estonian airspace was shot down by a NATO fighter jet. Lithuania has previously recorded incursions by Russian “Gerbera” drones, one of which carried explosives.