Lithuania says NATO jets shot down drone from Belarus as Vilnius warns of Russian threat

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from neighbouring Belarus, Lithuanian authorities said. The drone was brought down by Italian NATO fighter jets near the city of Kaunas. A resident's security camera caught the interception. Debris was scattered over a wide area, and military police are collecting and examining it to establish where the drone came from, who launched it and whether it was armed or carrying explosives.

Lithuania's president said the drone was in the country's airspace for around half an hour before it was intercepted. The origin has not been confirmed. Officials have not said whether the drone was Russian or Ukrainian. Recent incursions by Ukrainian drones into Baltic NATO airspace have been blamed by Kyiv on Russian signal jamming, which it says steers them off course. The incident is the latest security episode in the Baltic states since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The shootdown was described as the first time NATO jets have shot down a drone over Lithuania.

The UK Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, praised Lithuanian and Italian forces. He said NATO had again shown readiness to protect its airspace and that allies stand united in defence of every inch of NATO territory. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she called Russia's reckless and dangerous behaviour after the Lithuania incident and a separate confrontation between a Russian frigate and a Danish military helicopter. Denmark said the Russian frigate fired two flares towards the helicopter off its coast on Monday. The flares narrowly missed. Russia's ambassador to Denmark was summoned. Moscow accused Danish helicopters of dangerous manoeuvres near its warships.

EU and NATO politicians described the incidents as part of a wider pattern. Poland's foreign minister, Władysław Sikorski, said Lithuania must establish whose drone it was, but pointed to a Russian cruise missile that entered Polish airspace by 100 kilometres in July. He called that a deliberate incursion and attempted intimidation. He also listed reported Russian-linked actions including sabotage, arson and threats to undersea infrastructure. The chair of the UK Commons Defence Committee called the incidents a predictable, sustained pattern and said allies needed to support Ukraine and bolster NATO defences. A former US defence official said Moscow was running a campaign of intimidation and that NATO faces a cost problem when using expensive fighter jets and missiles against cheap drones. He said allies need to connect the dots publicly and consider responses such as cyber action, while Russia exploits grey areas and doubt.

Lithuania's prime minister, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, said the emotional state of citizens in Lithuania and the Baltic states was not good. He said people receive yellow or red alerts to take shelter when drones enter airspace. He said Lithuania has plans to evacuate vulnerable people and manage routes out of major cities, but that the initial response to an attack would be to fight back and not surrender. He said drones carrying explosives are a real threat. European leaders have warned that Russia might launch drone or missile attacks on NATO territory in the coming months. Vilnius Airport suspended flights amid drone activity, and was briefly closed.

Other recent incidents have added to the tension. Russian bombers were reported over the Norwegian and Barents Sea. Dutch railways suffered coordinated sabotage. Russian shelling near Kyiv injured four people, including a child, and set fire to warehouses in Hostomel. A second major bridge in Kyiv was damaged as Russia stepped up strikes on the Ukrainian capital. In the political debate around the war, President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop hitting Russian oil refineries. Sikorski said Ukrainian strikes had affected Russia's ability to fight and that Ukraine would reciprocate if Russia stopped attacking energy infrastructure. He said any ceasefire talk needed verification because Putin could not be trusted.

The investigation into the drone continues. Military police are examining the debris. There is still no confirmed answer on who launched it or why. The incident has renewed focus on NATO's air defences, the cost of intercepting cheap drones, and the risk of miscalculation as Russia presses Ukraine and NATO's eastern flank.