Lithuania to send Belarus note after drone incursion

Lithuania will send Belarus a diplomatic note over a drone that entered the country from Belarus and was shot down by fighter jets, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said, according to LRT.

Budrys said Lithuania routinely sends a note to the country from which an aircraft or other object enters its airspace. He added that further action would depend on an investigation identifying the drone from its wreckage.

Lithuania has informed its allies and is seeking discussions in the European Union and NATO about the security situation, Budrys said.

He thanked the Italian pilots conducting NATO’s air defence mission for successfully shooting down the drone early Tuesday and said the growing intensity of military activity was contributing to an increase in such incidents.

Budrys said Lithuania needed to continue investing in air defence while working with allies to increase capabilities to detect and destroy drones. He added that allies agreed the eastern flank needed to be strengthened and made more resilient, including through improved air defence and measures to protect critical infrastructure and other potential targets.

Asked whether NATO’s Article 4, which provides for consultations, should be activated, Budrys said an investigation was needed first. He said there was currently no assessment that extraordinary measures unavailable through routine procedures were necessary.

BNS reported that Italian fighter jets stationed in Šiauliai shot down the drone near the Kruonis pumped-storage power plant in Kaišiadorys district after it entered Lithuania from Belarus early Tuesday. Residents of Vilnius and Kaunas counties received warnings about a possible air threat while the drone was flying over Lithuanian territory.

It was the first time a drone had been shot down over Lithuania. Similar incidents had previously occurred in Latvia and Estonia.