NATO fighters shoot down drone over Lithuania as Vilnius airspace is restricted

NATO fighter jets have shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from the direction of Belarus, triggering air alerts and temporary restrictions at Vilnius Airport.

The drone was detected around midnight on September 15. Italian fighter jets operating from NATO’s air policing base at Šiauliai were scrambled and destroyed the aircraft at around 00:20 near Pratkūnai in the Kaišiadorys district.

Lithuanian authorities later recovered the wreckage and secured the area while military and police experts began examining it.

The type of drone, whether it was carrying explosives and the purpose of its flight have not yet been established. The Lithuanian Armed Forces said they would not rush to conclusions before completing the investigation.

The incident also had immediate effects beyond the military response. Residents in Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrėnai and surrounding areas received air-threat warnings, while Vilnius Airport temporarily restricted operations and airspace.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told LRT that the drone was neutralised not far from the Kruonis pumped-storage power plant, one of Lithuania’s key energy facilities. There is currently no evidence that the plant was the drone’s intended target.

The incident therefore adds another practical dimension to the Baltic region’s growing counter-drone challenge: unidentified aircraft entering national airspace can now affect not only military readiness but also civilian aviation and the protection of critical energy infrastructure.