Lithuania cancels air alert after radar-tracked object disappears

Lithuania cancelled a likely air threat alert at 10:37 on Saturday after an unidentified object disappeared from the monitored area and was no longer considered a threat, LRT reported. Authorities are searching for it and will further inspect the place where the radar signal disappeared.

National Crisis Management Centre head Vilmantas Vitkauskas said the object had not been identified. Its speed was lower than usual for a drone, he said, and the signal could have been caused by an anomaly or bird migration. The object’s parameters were similar to those of a drone, however.

Fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday morning, and controlled airspace around Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed because of the unidentified object. The National Crisis Management Centre said the object had entered Lithuania from Belarus. Residents reported seeing a possible object beyond Vilnius moving towards Jonava, but officials could not confirm those accounts.

An alert was also sent to Ukmergė. The town’s mayor, Darius Varnas, said residents were going about their usual activities while local officials stayed in contact with the crisis centre. Fire and Rescue Department head Renatas Požėla said people had called in reports of a possible drone sound or sighting from Kaišiadorys, Molėtai and Vilnius district. He urged residents not to approach suspicious objects and said any footage should be recorded from a safe distance.