NATO fighter jets were scrambled twice overnight after suspected drone incursions from Belarus triggered air alerts across large parts of Lithuania, forcing temporary airport closures and prompting neighbouring Latvia to activate its air defences.
Two alerts in one night
The first yellow air alert was issued in the Vilnius and Utena regions at about 11pm on Tuesday and lifted shortly after midnight. A second alert was later declared in the southern Alytus region, then expanded to parts of central and northern Lithuania and raised to red, with residents urged to seek shelter.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, said authorities initially detected three drones in Belarus during the first incident, but none entered Lithuanian airspace. During the second incident, a suspected drone was believed to have entered Lithuania from Belarus near the southern town of Druskininkai, possibly flying briefly into Poland, then travelling north through Marijampole, Kaunas and Panevezys before leaving the country near Pasvalys.
Jets detect the object but do not fire
Vitkauskas said NATO fighter jets detected the object but did not shoot it down, possibly due to poor weather or safety concerns. The number of drones involved and whether any crashed or were shot down remained unclear, and authorities had not established the identity or origin of the objects.
The incidents disrupted civilian aviation, forcing the temporary closure of Vilnius and Kaunas airports. Vitkauskas said three flights at Vilnius Airport were affected, disrupting travel plans for more than 400 passengers.
Latvia activates its defences
After 3am, Latvia’s National Armed Forces reported an airspace threat warning in the municipalities of Cesis, Smiltene and Gulbene, activating drone interceptors, air defence units and NATO air policing fighter jets. A single aircraft escorted by Baltic fighter jets flew over several Latvian towns before leaving Latvian territory at around 3:20am.
The incidents follow a pattern of drone-related alerts along NATO’s eastern flank, with unidentified drones repeatedly entering the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
