Lithuania Issues Emergency Alert After Drone Detected in Airspace

Lithuanian authorities issued an emergency alert on Wednesday after detecting an unidentified drone in the country's airspace. The drone entered from Latvia and prompted the activation of the NATO Air Policing Mission. The alert directed residents to take shelter immediately and care for close relatives.

Train service around Vilnius stopped and schools moved children into shelters. The warning also reached the parliament building where lawmakers were meeting. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas stated that NATO jets had been activated to target the drone.

The aircraft were unable to locate it. Authorities said it was unknown whether the drone had crashed or departed Lithuanian territory. m. BST and ended when the air warning was lifted about an hour later.

Air and rail traffic resumed afterward. Foreign Affairs Minister Kestutis Budrys described the event as an attempt by Russia to sow chaos. He said Ukraine was striking Russia's military capabilities and addressed a message to the Kremlin that the effort had failed.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations claimed Ukraine had attempted to launch drones from Latvia. Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand rejected the claim while speaking in Tallinn, stating that Russian assertions about Baltic airspace use were untrue. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told parliament he was seeking expanded powers to address drone threats.

The Latvian government resigned last week over its response to similar incidents.