Bad weather prevents fighter jets from shooting down unidentified drone over Lithuania
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Debris from an unknown drone discovered in Lithuania, October 18 (Photo: via LRT)
Debris from an unidentified drone was found in Lithuania after fighter jets were scrambled but could not shoot it down due to weather conditions, with officials suspecting it entered from Poland, Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reported on Oct. 18.
Lithuanian radars detected the object at around 6 a.m., and debris was later found in the Pasvalys district.
After the drone was detected, NATO air policing fighter jets were scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base but were unable to shoot it down because of weather conditions.
The military also suggested that the drone may have entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland. Lithuanian authorities have contacted their Polish counterparts to continue the investigation.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said the military could review its procedures for responding to similar incidents but stressed that "the main task was to detect the object." Law enforcement officials are also investigating reports that the drone damaged a vehicle.
Meanwhile, Polish authorities did not confirm any border violation but dispatched a search team to the south, near Lublin, to locate the possible crash site of an unidentified object.
Following the incident, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine was spreading to NATO's and the EU's eastern flank.
"Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is spreading to the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. This morning, NATO fighter jets stationed at Šiauliai Air Base were scrambled again after an unidentified object entered Lithuanian airspace. The object, most likely a drone, exploded over the northern part of the country, posing a threat to civilians," he said.
On Oct. 18, Latvia and Lithuania issued air alerts over an unidentified object. Allied military aircraft were deployed.
On Oct. 8, Lithuania's Interior Ministry announced that the country planned to deploy military personnel to strengthen security along its border with Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast.
On July 4, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said his country intended to join NATO's collective nuclear deterrence system. He said a proposed constitutional amendment would remove "the existing restriction on the possible use of nuclear weapons in Lithuania."
On Sept. 9, the Lithuanian Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs and Law and Order backed a proposal to repeal Article 137 of the Constitution, which prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on Lithuanian territory.
On Sept. 11, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that Lithuania would become a "target" for Russian nuclear weapons if allied nuclear weapons were deployed on its territory.
On Sept. 22, Lithuanian lawmakers approved a proposal to remove constitutional provisions prohibiting the deployment of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, on the country's territory.
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