Lithuania warns of growing drone threat as war in Ukraine nears borders

Lithuania’s defence minister has acknowledged the country faces an increasing risk from military drones as the war in Ukraine intensifies nearby, following an air threat alert that forced residents into shelters on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists in parliament, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed that an unidentified object with drone characteristics had entered Lithuanian airspace, though its origin and affiliation remained unconfirmed pending analysis. “This is the reality we live in. A war is happening near us, military drones are flying near the territories of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and when the threat to our citizens’ safety increases, we must inform them,” he said, as reported by LRT and the Baltic News Service (BNS).

Kaunas cautioned that no defence system offers absolute protection. “There is no 100% guarantee anywhere in the world—not in Israel, not in America, not in the Arab states, not even in Russia or Ukraine—that we will detect and neutralise every threat. We should not have the illusion that 100% security exists,” he stated. However, he emphasised ongoing efforts to strengthen detection capabilities and integrate modern solutions to “quickly identify objects and, if necessary, eliminate them using kinetic or electronic warfare means.”

The alert was triggered Wednesday morning after radar systems detected an object with drone signatures in eastern Lithuania. The threat level was later extended to the Vilnius and Alytus regions, prompting shelter-in-place orders and the closure of Vilnius airspace. Authorities lifted the alert after 90 minutes, though the National Crisis Management Centre later confirmed it remained unclear whether the drone had crashed in Lithuania or exited its territory.

Kaunas noted that while the object was detected this time, future incidents may not always be identified in advance. He reiterated that public warnings would continue as threats evolve, stressing the need for heightened vigilance amid the regional security climate.

Lithuania has previously reported multiple airspace violations by Russian and Belarusian military aircraft, though Wednesday’s incident marked the first drone-related emergency alert issued to the public.