Lithuania closes airspace after drone intrusion triggers NATO response

Lithuania temporarily closed its airspace for several hours after a drone violated its territory, triggering an air defence alert and widespread security disruptions across the country.

Authorities said the incident led to the suspension of flights at Vilnius Airport, while railway services near the capital were also halted. Schools and kindergartens were ordered to evacuate children to shelters as the alert remained in effect for several hours before operations gradually resumed, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said from a bunker that military aviation forces were attempting to neutralise the threat. He added that NATO’s air policing mission had been activated to track and target the drone detected in Lithuanian airspace.

The incident comes amid a series of drone-related airspace violations across the Baltic states in recent days. On May 19, a NATO fighter jet reportedly shot down a suspected drone over Estonia. Baltic countries have also reported multiple drone incursions since March, amid increased Ukrainian drone activity targeting Russian territory, including operations over the Baltic Sea.

Officials in Latvia recently resigned following their response to drone incidents, while Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 20 that Russian forces were monitoring the situation closely and developing appropriate countermeasures. The Baltic states, which strongly support Ukraine, have blamed Moscow for the incidents, while also stating that Ukraine has the right to strike Russian military targets.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova