NATO jets shoot down drone over Lithuanian airspace after it flew in from Belarus
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NATO shot down a drone that flew into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus overnight on Sept. 15, Lithuanian authorities said.
"A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets. I thank Allied personnel for their swift response," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in a post to X.
The drone entered Lithuanian airspace from neighboring Belarus, flying over Lentvaris near the capital, Vilnius, before being shot down near the major city of Kaunas, head of the country's National Crisis Management Center Vilmantas Vitkauskas told public broadcaster LRT.
Air raid sirens sounded in parts of the country and Lithuanian airports faced temporary restrictions, including an airspace closure.
"With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace," Nauseda said, praising NATO's action.
Authorities are still searching for the drone wreckage and have not yet shared what type of drone was intercepted.
"Forces were deployed to determine what type of drone it was, its specifications and its intended target," Vitkauskas said.
Lithuania's army later said that the wreckage was found after the drone was "neutralized " at 12:20 a.m. local time by Italian fighter jets that were stationed in the city of Siauliai in the north of the country.
Just a day earlier on Sept. 14, two Ukrainian officials said that Russia is likely using Belarusian mobile networks and repeater stations on Belarusian territory to help provide stable signals to Russian Shahed-type drones used in mass attacks against Ukraine.
Russian drones have violated NATO airspace on several occasions, including on Sept. 8, when a suspected Russian Shahed-type drone violated Moldovan and Romanian airspace, forcing airspace closures, emergency alerts, and the scrambling of NATO fighter jets.
