Lithuania protests Belarus over drone airspace violation

Lithuania has delivered a strong protest to Belarus over the violation of its border and airspace by a drone, LRT and BNS report. The protest note was handed to a representative of the Belarusian Embassy in Lithuania after he was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

The ministry said objective monitoring systems detected a drone entering Lithuania from Belarus during the night of September 14 to 15. It described the incident as a serious breach of international law and demanded that Belarus immediately provide a detailed explanation and prevent similar violations in the future.

Lithuania also demanded that Belarus ensure effective control of its territory and airspace and prevent actions that could threaten the security of neighbouring countries. The Foreign Ministry said Lithuania reserved the right to take all necessary measures with its allies to protect national security, territorial integrity and public safety.

The drone was shot down on Tuesday night in Kaišiadorys District, near the Kruonis pumped-storage power plant, by Italian fighter jets stationed in Šiauliai. The drone had entered Lithuania from Belarus. Residents in the Vilnius and Kaunas regions received alerts about a possible air threat while it was flying over Lithuanian territory.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said earlier on Wednesday that further action would be taken after the investigation established the drone’s exact origin. He said Lithuania had informed its allies and wanted to consult them about the security situation.

Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania has issued several warnings about possible air threats in recent months, but this was the first time a drone had been shot down over the country. Drones had previously been shot down in Latvia and Estonia.

On Sunday, residents in parts of southeastern Lithuania were warned about a possible air threat after radar systems detected a flock of birds. Earlier on the same day, authorities near Varėna detected an object crossing Lithuanian territory and possibly entering Russia’s Kaliningrad region. An air threat was not declared because there was insufficient information about the object.