Vilnius, Sep 16:
NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight, officials said, in the first reported instance of a drone being brought down inside the country. The incident came less than a day after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned that strikes close to alliance territory would lead to increased support for Ukraine.
The drone was brought down near Pratkunai village in the Kaisiadorys district, about 100 km west of the capital Vilnius and close to the Kaunas Reservoir, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said. The Lithuanian military confirmed that the incident was the first time a drone had been shot down in the country’s airspace.
Authorities have not yet established the origin or purpose of the drone and said the incident was under investigation. The incursion came shortly after Rutte, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said strikes close to NATO territory demonstrated what he described as Russia’s growing recklessness in its war against Ukraine. He also pledged to strengthen the 32-member alliance’s defences along its eastern flank.