Europeupdated 1h ago3 min read
NATO Scrambles Italian Eurofighter Jets After Drone Enters Lithuanian Airspace, Damages Car
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NATO scrambled two Italian Eurofighter jets after a drone entered Lithuanian airspace. Debris from the drone damaged a moving civilian car in northern Lithuania.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Russian Drones Enter NATO Airspace, NATO Jets Scramble Across Romania, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France →
Drone, Jets, Damage
NATO scrambled two Italian Eurofighter jets after a drone was detected in Lithuanian airspace, and debris later damaged a moving civilian vehicle in northern Lithuania. NATO said, "We can confirm that this morning, two Italian Eurofighter jets were scrambled in response to the presence of a drone in Lithuanian airspace," and the alliance said an investigation was underway while it stayed in close contact with Lithuanian authorities. Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said preliminary information indicated the object entered the country from Poland, and he told reporters, "I have already contacted the Polish defence minister and asked Poland to join the investigation so that we can look into this incident together."
Authorities confirmed debris struck a vehicle traveling from Birzai toward Pasvalys, and Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said the driver heard an explosion before debris hit the vehicle, denting its door. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, told LRT Radio that the object was most likely a Ukrainian drone that could have entered during Kyiv’s strikes on Russia’s St Petersburg region.
Regret, Blame, Shelter
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv regretted the drone incident in Lithuania’s airspace and wrote, "We apologise for any disruption, risks, and concern this may have caused," on US social media company X. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned that Russia’s war against Ukraine was spreading, and he wrote, "What appears to be a drone exploded over the northern part of the country, posing a danger to the civilian population," on X. Lithuanian officials said the suspected drone triggered an alert that forced residents in northern and central areas to seek shelter for an hour on Sunday morning.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told reporters that the object flew into Lithuania’s airspace from Poland after he proposed a joint investigation with his Polish counterpart. Lithuanian army personnel investigated possible drone debris near Juodzionys village in northern Lithuania after the object disappeared from radar, and Kaunas said some debris struck a civilian vehicle.
Investigation and NATO Posture
Lithuanian authorities and NATO continued investigating the drone’s origin and intended destination after the incident, and the NATO official said the alliance remained in close contact with Lithuanian authorities. Lithuania’s crisis management center said NATO fighter jets were unable to visually identify the object due to cloudy weather and did not attempt to shoot it down, while the center said the military was investigating possible drone debris near Juodzionys village. Latvian armed forces said the jets "did not shoot down the suspected unmanned aerial vehicle" and said it was possible the object had "detonated on its own," as the incident took place close to the Latvian border.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkeviicius called for the possibility of sabotage to be investigated and said on Monday he planned to convene a meeting of the National Security Commission. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda framed the incident as spillover from Russia’s war, writing, "Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is spilling over onto the Eastern flank of NATO and EU," while authorities sought to determine where the drone came from and where it was first detected by radar.