Suspicious drone triggers two-hour air threat alert in southeastern Lithuania
A suspected drone threat disrupted daily life in southeastern Lithuania for nearly two hours Wednesday morning after authorities issued an air danger alert, state broadcaster LRT reports.
The National Crisis Management Centre first declared the threat at 9:37 AM, affecting Ignalina, Utena, Švenčionys, and Zarasai districts. The warning later expanded to cover Vilnius and Alytus regions before being lifted nationwide at approximately 11:40 AM.
During the alert, nearly 150 concerned residents called the Emergency Response Centre, with around 30 reporting drone-like noises. One witness claimed to have seen a small aircraft resembling an unmanned drone, while a woman from Trakai district described hearing a descending drone followed by a vibration strong enough to rattle windows.
The incident began when military radars detected an unidentified drone-like object near Lithuania’s eastern border. The craft briefly entered Lithuanian airspace before vanishing from radar, leaving its origin—whether from Belarus or Latvia—unconfirmed.
Authorities adjusted threat levels dynamically, using coded warnings (“yellow” for shelter preparation, “red” for immediate sheltering). While some public shelters, including Vilnius’ Simonas Daukantas Progymnasium, accommodated residents, others reportedly lacked capacity or remained locked. Vilnius Deputy Mayor Vytautas Mitalas noted complaints about inaccessible shelters on social media.
The alert disrupted critical infrastructure: Vilnius Airport suspended operations, train services halted, and courts adjourned hearings. Santara Clinics continued surgeries but advised staff and patients to seek shelter. Fire and Rescue Services stood ready to activate air raid sirens in Vilnius but deemed SMS alerts more efficient for rapid notification.
Drone incidents in the Baltic region have increased amid Ukraine’s expanded use of unmanned aerial vehicles against Russian targets. Russian officials accuse Baltic states of enabling such overflights—a claim regional governments deny, attributing stray drones to Russian electronic warfare interference.