NATO fighters destroy drone in Kaišiadorys district

NATO air-policing fighters destroyed a drone after it entered Lithuanian airspace, with the incident taking place in Kaišiadorys district, the National Crisis Management Centre said, according to LRT.

At around 1 a.m., centre head Vilmantas Vitkauskas said the drone had been brought down in Kaunas County, preliminarily near the village of Pratkūnai, in a rural area close to the Kaunas Reservoir.

Military police, police and other services were sent to the scene to identify the drone, determine its specifications and establish its intended flight path. No information about injuries or damage was available.

Initial information indicated that the drone had likely entered Lithuania from Belarus. It then travelled west through the Lentvaris and Trakai area, Vitkauskas said.

A possible air threat warning was issued shortly after midnight to Vilnius and its district, as well as the Trakai and Elektrėnai municipalities. NATO air-policing fighters were scrambled in response, and warning messages were sent to residents’ mobile phones.

Vilnius Airport’s operations and airspace were temporarily restricted. After the possible air threat was lifted, operations resumed, although delays or cancellations remained possible. Two flights, from Antalya and Reykjavik, were slightly delayed.

The Fire and Rescue Department initially reported that a drone had entered Lithuanian territory and that a possible air threat had been declared in several districts. The previous warning to residents, issued on Sunday, was later found to have been triggered by radar detection of a flock of birds.