Lithuania’s military monitored the country’s airspace and put the air raid warning system on standby as Russian drones entered Polish airspace, the authorities said on Wednesday.
“The Lithuanian military and all responsible services monitored the situation from the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine last night and put the Public Warning and Information System on standby so that, if necessary, the public could be alerted immediately and recommendations could be provided,” the National Crisis Management Center (NKVC) said.
The country’s services raised “the level of alertness and strengthened border and airspace protection”, it added.
Poland said on Wednesday that multiple drones entered the country’s airspace amid Russian attacks on Ukraine. Several were reportedly shot down or crashed over eastern Poland. One drone struck a house, but no people were injured, authorities said.
"Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X, adding that he was in contact with allies and the NATO secretary general.
Russian drones and missiles have entered the airspace of NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania several times during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Last month, Warsaw said a Russian military drone flew into its airspace and exploded in farmland in eastern Poland, calling the incident a “provocation”.
Vilnius calls for more air defences
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the incident was an “escalation”, adding that the number of such incidents will likely increase.
She said Poland used "the same measures that we were currently using," so Lithuania's reaction would have been "very similar."
“We receive the same NATO air picture as Poland, but we cannot disclose the details of what exactly we see at this time," the minister told LRT RADIO..
Šakalienė said she planned to discuss the situation with her Polish counterpart on Wednesday, adding that the country would express support if “Poland turned to NATO” for help.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in a post on X said Russia was “deliberately expanding its aggression, posing an ever-growing threat to Europe”.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys called for the immediate strengthening of air defences on NATO’s eastern border.
“Air defense along NATO’s frontline must be reinforced without delay. The Alliance must respond with capabilities, not just concerns,” he said on X.
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