NATO fighters destroy drone that entered Lithuania from Belarus

NATO fighter jets destroyed a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, LRT reported. The drone was intercepted near Pratkūnai village in Kaišiadorys district after Italian allied fighter jets took off from the air base in Šiauliai.

Lithuanian Air Force Commander Col. Antanas Matutis said Lithuania had received no notification from Belarus about the drone. He said radar detected an object approaching Lithuania from Belarus shortly before midnight, and its characteristics suggested it was an unmanned aircraft. As the object could not be visually confirmed from the ground, aircraft from the air-policing mission were deployed and destroyed it according to procedure.

Drone debris was found in the area, where military police and Lithuanian police are working. The drone is believed to have carried an explosive payload.

The drone remained in Lithuanian territory for about half an hour and was destroyed at around 12:20 a.m., according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The location has few homes or residents but is not far from the Kruonis pumped-storage hydropower plant.

After midnight, the military sent alerts to residents in Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrėnai and later Kaunas County, urging them to seek shelter or another safe place, take care of relatives and await further instructions. A yellow warning was issued instead of a red one because the latter is used when there is an imminent danger that a drone could hit, strike or fall.