NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania, President Gitanas Nausėda said early on Tuesday, with military sources saying the incident marked the first time a drone had been downed over the Baltic state.
The Defence Ministry in Vilnius said the unmanned aerial vehicle was brought down shortly after midnight by Italian Eurofighters.
The authorities had previously alerted the population of several regions of the Baltic EU and NATO member to a possible threat from the air. No further details on the origin or type of the downed drone were initially available.
"I thank Allied personnel for their swift response," Nausėda wrote on X.
"With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace."
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius also thanked Lithuania's NATO allies.
The operation was coordinated by the Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOC) in Uedem in western Germany, NATO's Air Command announced. CAOC monitors and secures NATO airspace north of the Alps, from Iceland to the alliance's eastern flank, and includes the mission to secure Baltic airspace.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys described the incident as the "best example of Allied unity and resolve" and a clear signal that NATO is "vigilant, committed, and ready." Defence Minister Kaunas emphasized: "Local residents were informed in good time, and the operation went smoothly."
The drone was shot down over a rural area near the village of Pratkunai, around 50 kilometres south-east of Lithuania's second-largest city Kaunas, according to national crisis management centre chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the drone was shot down near the Kruonis hydroelectric power plant.
Based on initial findings, the drone had probably flown into Lithuania from Belarusian territory and remained in Lithuanian airspace for about half an hour, Vitkauskas said on Lithuanian radio.
Budrys said Lithuania would deliver a diplomatic note to Minsk and consult with its allies. Nausėda has convened a meeting of the National Security Council for Wednesday.
There were initially no reports of casualties or damage. Debris from a drone had been found in the area where it was shot down and was now being examined, crisis management chief Vitkauskas said. He added that there was a high probability that the flying object contained an explosive device.
Some local residents told Lithuanian radio they had both the sound of a drone and that of fighter jets. Published CCTV footage is also said to show the moment the intruding drone was shot down.
Lithuania borders Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad as well as Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. The country has felt particularly threatened since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Lithuanian government, the country's military intelligence service has information suggesting that Russia could be considering attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic states.
Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, are currently building up a German armoured brigade in Lithuania.
The combat-ready and independently deployable force, comprising 4,800 troops, is expected to be operational by 2027.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, there have been several drone incidents in Lithuania and the two other Baltic states, Estonia and Latvia. Unmanned missiles used by Kiev to attack targets in north-west Russia have repeatedly entered Baltic airspace by accident and crashed.
Russian-manufactured drones flying in from Belarus have also previously entered Lithuanian airspace.
Larger NATO states take turns providing air surveillance for Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which have no combat jets of their own.
The Italian fighter jets are based at Šiauliai military airfield in Lithuania. They had last shot down a drone that had flown from Belarus into the airspace of neighbouring Latvia in August. A drone has also been shot down by NATO combat jets over Estonia.