NATO Fighter Jet Intercepts and Shoots Down Suspected Russian Drone Over Lithuanian Airspace

NATO has pledged more support for Ukraine as European leaders warn that Russia's war is expanding.

An Italian fighter jet flying for NATO has brought down what officials said was a suspected Russian drone in Lithuanian airspace. According to Lithuania’s national crisis management centre, the drone entered the country’s airspace on Tuesday from Belarus and was shot down near the small settlement of Pratkunai in central Lithuania, just north of the country’s second-largest city, Kaunas.

Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on social media the drone was carrying an explosive. Debris from the device was being examined to determine if it was from Russia or another country.

The intervention by the Italian fighter jet demonstrated “the value of the Atlantic alliance” and “what it means to be an ally”, Kaunas said after meeting crews who were at the scene.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the incident part of a pattern of “aggression and provocation” against Europe. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul laid the blame on Russia, saying that NATO members would not be intimidated. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the incident.

The drone was intercepted over Lithuania after Russia fired flares at a Danish military helicopter monitoring a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea on Monday. In a post on X on Tuesday, Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, that “recent days show that Russia’s actions threaten the security of the entire Europe”.

The escalations followed a series of Russian drone strikes on Sunday, prompting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to pledge more support for Ukraine. Russian drones hit a train close to the Polish border, minutes after a delegation of current and former officials from the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe passed through the station.

At a press conference, Kaunas warned that the Russia-Ukraine war has spread and that incidents would continue unless there was a negotiated settlement, but maintained that “Putin does not want” a peaceful settlement.