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The Lithuanian national crisis management centre reported that a drone entered the country’s airspace from neighbouring Belarus shortly after midnight on September 15, 2026, prompting emergency alerts across Vilnius and nearby districts. The object was subsequently shot down by a NATO fighter jet near Pratkunai village in the Kaunas region, according to the centre’s spokesperson. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated on X, “A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets. With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace.” This marked the first time a drone has been destroyed in Lithuanian airspace, officials indicated.
The country’s defence ministry praised the coordinated effort involving Lithuanian armed forces and Italian pilots assigned to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. Those pilots, flying Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Siauliai Air Base, executed the interception within approximately 30 minutes of the initial detection. The ministry described the response as swift and responsible in a statement released following the event. No casualties or ground damage resulted from the operation, authorities confirmed.
NATO has conducted the Baltic Air Policing mission without interruption since Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia became alliance members in 2004, according to NATO summaries, with the effort expanded under Operation Eastern Sentry launched in September 2025 to counter increased drone activity. The mission aims to safeguard the airspace of the three countries that lack their own fighter aircraft. The Italian detachment, which took over in July 2026 with four Eurofighter Typhoon jets and around 200 personnel at Siauliai Air Base according to the Lithuanian defence ministry, has already responded to several potential threats in recent months, defence officials noted.
Lithuania’s national crisis management centre had dealt with a false alarm only two days earlier on September 13 when radar mistakenly identified a flock of birds as a possible drone, leading to a 38-minute closure of Vilnius Airport. NATO jets scrambled on that occasion performed a visual identification before the alert was lifted, the centre explained. At least 22 smuggling-related drones have entered Lithuanian airspace in September so far, according to the centre’s records. Officials continue to differentiate between such smuggling activity and potential security threats from state actors.
Defence ministries across the Baltic region have documented a rise in drone-related airspace violations since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. NATO aircraft intercepted stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia during May 2026 and over Latvia in June and August of the same year, according to statements from those countries’ authorities. Polish officials reported that between 19 and 23 Russian drones entered their airspace in September 2025, resulting in several being shot down by NATO forces and the triggering of Article 4 consultations within the alliance.
The origin of the drone destroyed on September 15 remains under investigation, with recovery teams examining debris to identify its type and intended purpose, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the national crisis management centre, told local media. Moscow has issued no immediate comment on the violation, international news agencies reported. Lithuanian authorities have emphasised the importance of allied cooperation in addressing such incursions as they become more frequent across the region.
