Lithuania still unable to confirm whether drone crashed or left its airspace

Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) has not yet determined whether a suspected drone entered the country’s airspace before crashing or exiting its territory, public broadcaster LRT reports.

Residents in Vilnius, Ignalina, Zarasai, Švenčionys, and Utena districts received emergency alerts on Wednesday, with those in the Vilnius region ordered to seek shelter immediately. The warnings followed reports of a potential drone incursion.

NKVC head Vilmantas Vitkauskas told a press conference that the initial alert came from Latvia, where a “yellow” air threat—indicating a possible military object posing a risk to civilians and infrastructure—had been declared in the Daugavpils region. Lithuanian radars later detected an object approaching the border near Ignalina district around 9:40 AM.

Emergency notifications were issued to the public, starting with Ignalina district, as the drone was believed to be heading toward Vilnius. By 10:00 AM, Vilnius residents were also alerted. The object disappeared from radar at 11:09 AM, but authorities remain unsure whether it crashed within Lithuania or left the country’s airspace.