NATO jets shoot down drone over Kaišiadorys district

LRT has published footage showing the moment a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace was shot down by NATO air policing forces over Kaišiadorys district early Tuesday.

An air threat alert was declared in Vilnius and Kaunas counties after the drone was detected. The footage, recorded by a surveillance camera at a homestead, shows a flash and falling debris at 12:19 a.m.

The video was shared with LRT by Mindaugas, who said the camera was located in the village of Rūčkakiemis, about 1 to 2 kilometres from Pratkūnai. A streak of light appears several seconds after the recording begins, followed by a flash and burning fragments falling on the horizon. The streak was identified as a missile fired by NATO air policing personnel.

Italian allied fighter jets that took off from the Šiauliai air base were used to destroy the drone, LRT reported. Initial information placed the incident in Alytus district near the village of Navasiolkai, but the National Crisis Management Centre later said the drone had been shot down near Pratkūnai in Kaišiadorys district.

Preliminary information indicates that the drone entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus. Officers from the Aras anti-terrorist operations unit are working at the scene, and the Shield plan has been activated.

The military has not commented on the drone’s possible origin because its fragments are still being collected. It is also not yet known whether the unmanned aircraft may have been carrying explosives.