An air alert in Vilnius was lifted shortly before 11:00 on Wednesday following an earlier drone sighting.
Lithuania's armed forces have activated the NATO air policing mission and issued an air alert in Vilnius after a suspected drone was detected near the country's border on Wednesday morning.
"Air alert! Immediately head to a shelter or a safe space," the military said in an emergency announcement.
Details about what to do in an event of an air raid are available an the government's emergency response website, www.LT72.lt.
"This incident is similar to what we have been seeing in recent days in Latvia and Estonia; warning residents is a standard preventive measure," the military said in an earlier statement.
The drone activity was recorded in areas close to the border, near the Ignalina, Utena, Zarasai and Švenčionys districts in eastern Lithuania. The warning was later extended to the capital Vilnius and the surrounding region.
"One drone was sighted over Vilnius District," Vilmantas Vitkauskas, had of the National Crisis Management Centre told, told LRT RADIO later on Wednesday morning.
Residents in those districts have received public alert messages warning of a possible drone in the vicinity, with a yellow-level air threat alert issued in those areas. It was later alerted to a "red" – urgent – alert in the Vilnius region.
Drone tracked before disappearing
Belarus informed Lithuania of a potential unmanned aerial vehicle heading toward its territory earlier that morning, Lithuanian Land Forces Commander Brigadier General Nerijus Stankevičius said.
"This morning we received a report from the Belarusian military regarding drones potentially moving into Lithuanian territory; our Latvian neighbours received identical information," he told reporters.
The National Crisis Management Centre said a border crossing was recorded at approximately 09:40 local time.
"The suspected drone was flying toward Vilnius, and its trajectory necessitated alerting a larger number of residents," said centre head Vilmantas Vitkauskas.
The object was detected by both Lithuanian and Latvian military radars. Two NATO fighter jets were scrambled from Ämari air base in Estonia – one directed to Lithuania, the other to Latvia. Their task was to detect, visually identify and destroy the drone, but no hostile aircraft was spotted. The jets aborted the mission and returned to Estonia.
The object disappeared from radar at 11:09, near the town of Merkinė. "Whether this was due to a descent, the drone flying into another state, or a crash, we cannot say at this moment," Vitkauskas said.
Its current location remains unknown. A search is ongoing, involving an Air Force helicopter and ground forces.
The military initially reported the drone had entered from Belarus, though Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas later suggested on social media it may have originated from Latvian territory. Vitkauskas said Belarus remained the most likely source, though the exact origin could not yet be confirmed.
Vilnius Airspace reopened
Airspace over Vilnius airport was reopened around 11:00 on Wednesday after being closed an hour prior due to the air alert.
Flights SK744 and TK1407 were diverted to Riga International Airport. The status of other flights will be updated shortly.
Lithuanian leaders taken to shelters after air raid alert
Lithuanian leaders were taken to emergency shelters following the air alert. Frederikas Jansonas, an aide to the head of state, confirmed that Gitanas Nausėda and presidency staff were escorted to safety.
A similar evacuation order was issued at the Seimas, with politicians and staff being led down to the shelter in the basement, according to an LRT reporter onsite.
Ignas Dobrovolskas, a spokesperson for the prime minister, confirmed that Inga Ruginienė was also taken to a shelter.
Train traffic briefly halted
Train services were temporarily suspended in parts of Lithuania, with passengers in the Vilnius district and at Vilnius railway station evacuated to shelters.
Railway traffic resumed later on Wednesday morning, with delays expected throughout the day due to the earlier disruption.
Alert lifted, but lessons to be learned
The air alert was subsequently lifted. Jansonas said the emergency warning system had functioned as intended. "The algorithm worked, and people were warned of a potential danger. The system is functioning," he said, adding that the incident should be treated as a lesson to be assessed.
He warned that similar incidents could recur for as long as the war in Ukraine continued. "A war has been ongoing a few hundred kilometres from Lithuania for five years. Until the war ends, the danger will remain," he said.
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