Lithuania issued an “air danger” warning on Wednesday, urging residents to take shelter and temporarily halting traffic at Vilnius airport amid fears of a drone entering its airspace, as tensions across the Baltic region intensified following a series of cross-border drone incidents and sharp exchanges between Russia and NATO countries.
Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence said an air alert had been issued in parts of the country after a suspected drone approaching from Belarus was detected near the border.
“Lithuania has issued an air alert in parts of the country after a suspected drone approaching from Belarus was detected near the border. NATO Baltic Air Policing has been activated,” the ministry said.
The country’s army sent a message to residents in the capital urging them to seek shelter.
“Immediately take shelter in a safe place, take care of your close ones, await new recommendations,” the army said.
Warnings were also issued inside the Lithuanian parliament building, where an intercom announcement instructed people in the building to move to the nearest shelter due to the risk of an air attack.
Flights at Vilnius airport were temporarily suspended
Flights at Vilnius airport were temporarily suspended while train services were also halted and passengers evacuated to shelters, according to local reports.
Lithuania’s national crisis management centre said it had issued the warning after a drone in neighbouring Belarus was seen flying towards Lithuania, although authorities said its origin had not been confirmed. Reuters later quoted Lithuania’s defence minister as saying the drone flew near Lentvaris, close to Vilnius, before changing direction.
The developments came a day after NATO shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia, in what Baltic officials described as the latest in a series of airspace incidents affecting the region.
Ukraine blamed Russia for redirecting one of its drones into Estonian airspace. A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson later apologised to Estonia over the incident and said Ukraine was not using Latvian or Estonian territory to launch attacks against Russia, a position also echoed by the Baltic states.
Latvia also issued air threat alerts on Tuesday after concerns over a possible drone entering its airspace near the Russian border. Residents in affected areas were advised to remain indoors and NATO Baltic Air Police fighter jets were deployed. Latvian authorities later said they found no evidence that a drone had entered the country’s airspace, although a second alert prompted another deployment of NATO aircraft.
The incidents unfolded as Russia accused Ukraine of planning to launch military drones from Baltic territory.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, told a UN Security Council meeting that Moscow had information suggesting Ukraine planned to launch drones from Latvia and other Baltic states. He said Russian intelligence knew the locations of what he called decision-making centres and warned that NATO membership would not shield countries from retaliation.
Latvia’s ambassador to the UN, Sanita Pavluta-Deslandes, immediately dismissed the claims as “pure fiction.”
Latvia’s foreign ministry later summoned the acting head of Russia’s mission and lodged what it called a “categorical protest,” accusing Moscow of continuing to spread false information and making escalatory statements despite repeated denials that Latvian territory or airspace was being used for attacks on Russia.
At the United Nations, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Tammy Bruce said the Security Council was “no place for threats against a council member” and reiterated Washington’s commitment to its NATO obligations.
Ukraine’s envoy to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, also rejected Russia’s claims, calling them “fairy tales.”
The incidents have added to growing security concerns in the Baltic region, where repeated airspace violations and drone activity have increasingly become a source of diplomatic and military tension.
