Lithuania’s interior minister calls emergency meeting after LT72 alert app malfunctions again

Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius has convened an institutional meeting after the country’s emergency alert app LT72 experienced technical disruptions for the second time, following a drone-related air threat alert in Utena district, LRT reports.

On Thursday, authorities issued an air danger warning via the LT72 app after radar detected drone-like objects moving over Utena district. Residents received “red alert” mobile notifications urging them to seek shelter immediately. Sirens were activated, and train traffic was temporarily suspended before the threat level was later downgraded.

In a Facebook post, Kondratovičius confirmed that the app had faced “technical overload” issues during the incident, though its capacity was subsequently increased. “The app’s bandwidth has been expanded, the problem is being resolved, and technical operations continue to be monitored in real time,” he stated.

The minister announced an emergency meeting with responsible institutions for Friday to assess the situation in detail. “Concrete measures will be taken to address both technical and communication gaps,” he added.

Defence officials later reported that the radar-tracked objects disappeared near Utena, with a military helicopter dispatched to search the area. NATO fighter jets, scrambled in response to the alert, returned to base after the objects vanished from radar screens. The air threat warning remained in effect for under 90 minutes.

The LT72 app, designed for emergency notifications, previously faced criticism during a false alarm in 2023, when a technical error triggered an unintended nationwide alert. Thursday’s incident marks its second major disruption within a year.