Lithuania orders shelter as unidentified object triggers air alert
Lithuanian authorities warned residents to take shelter after a likely drone entered the country's airspace, prompting a NATO red alert and temporary airport closure.
Lithuania instructed people in its central and northern regions to seek shelter for about an hour on Sunday morning after an unidentified object entered its airspace, the army and the national crisis management centre said. Defense minister Robertas Kaunas told reporters the object was probably a drone that came from Poland and said he had proposed a joint investigation with his Polish counterpart. Poland’s military confirmed it was also checking for a possible airspace breach.
During the red alert, NATO air-police fighters were scrambled to the area and Kaunas airport, near the country’s second-largest city, was temporarily closed. Cloudy weather prevented the NATO aircraft from visually identifying the object, and they did not attempt to shoot it down, the crisis centre said.
Lithuanian army personnel searched for possible drone debris near the village of Juodzionys in the north after the object disappeared from radar. Some debris reportedly struck a civilian vehicle, Kaunas said.
Latvia briefly issued a yellow air warning in regions bordering Lithuania, citing a possible threat, according to its army. NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ukrainian drones have entered NATO airspace in the Baltic region in recent months, with Kyiv saying they were diverted off course by Russian signal jamming.