Lithuania issued an “air danger” alert on Wednesday, urging residents to seek shelter and briefly suspending traffic at Vilnius Airport amid concerns that drones could violate the country’s airspace.
The alert was triggered after a drone was spotted in neighbouring Belarus flying towards Lithuania, according to the country’s National Crisis Management Centre. Authorities said the origin of the drone had not been confirmed.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the drone had initially been moving towards Lentvaris, near Vilnius, before changing direction. She said NATO military aircraft were tracking it.
The Defence Ministry confirmed the temporary suspension of flights at Vilnius Airport in an emergency alert sent to residents of the capital. The message urged people to move immediately to shelters or other safe places, look after family members and await further instructions.
Lithuanian media reported that the country’s President and Prime Minister had also taken shelter during the alert. The military later said the warning had been lifted and that residents could leave shelters.
The incident comes a day after a NATO fighter jet shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia, according to Baltic authorities, in the latest in a series of airspace incidents in the region linked to the wider fallout from the war in Ukraine.
Source: CNA
