A NATO fighter jet shot down an unidentified drone over Lithuania shortly after midnight on Tuesday, following an airspace violation that triggered an alert in Vilnius and the surrounding region.

The unmanned aircraft is believed to have entered Lithuania from neighbouring Belarus. It was destroyed near the village of Pratkūnai, close to Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city. The Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre said that the drone’s exact origin, type and purpose had not yet been determined. Authorities were searching for its wreckage and reported no casualties or damage. Reuters

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed the operation and thanked NATO personnel for their swift response. He stressed that the Alliance’s readiness was particularly important as Russia continued to intensify its military campaign against Ukraine.

“Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace,” Nausėda said. Anadolu Agency

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys also praised the allied forces, describing the operation as a demonstration of NATO’s unity and determination to protect its members.

The incident came only two days after another drone alert in Lithuania. On Sunday, Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed and a NATO fighter jet was scrambled after radar systems detected what appeared to be an unidentified aircraft. The suspected drone was later identified as a flock of birds.

Tuesday’s incident, however, involved a genuine unmanned aircraft and ended with NATO forces using weapons over Lithuanian territory. The Alliance has patrolled the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia since the three Baltic countries joined NATO in 2004. As they do not operate sufficient fighter forces of their own, other NATO members deploy aircraft to the region on a rotational basis.

Drone incursions have become an increasingly serious security concern along NATO’s eastern flank. Earlier in 2026, allied aircraft intercepted stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia and Latvia. Ukraine has argued that Russian electronic warfare may have altered the flight paths of some unmanned aircraft originally sent to attack targets inside Russia.

The Lithuanian incident also coincided with heightened military activity in neighbouring Poland. Polish forces activated fighter aircraft as a precaution during Russian attacks on Ukraine. A day earlier, the Polish military recovered a suspected Russian Gerbera drone from the Baltic Sea near Rusinowo. Gerbera drones are inexpensive aircraft made partly from plywood and foam. They are frequently used as decoys, although some versions can carry explosives. The Guardian

Although there is currently no confirmation that the drone destroyed over Lithuania was Russian, its arrival from the direction of Belarus will increase concerns about the security of NATO airspace. The incident demonstrates both the growing risk of the war in Ukraine spilling across national borders and NATO’s willingness to respond militarily when an unidentified aircraft poses a potential threat.