NATO jets shoot down drone in Lithuania; officials say it likely carried explosives

Vilnius, Lithuania: NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight, officials said Tuesday, as the alliance warned that attacks near its territory could prompt stronger support for Ukraine.

The drone was intercepted near the village of Pratkunai in the Kaišiadorys district, about 60 miles (100 kilometres) west of Vilnius and close to the Kaunas Reservoir, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said.

Lithuania’s military said it was the first time a drone had been shot down in the country’s airspace. Officials did not immediately identify its origin or determine its purpose, saying the incident remained under investigation.

The incursion came less than a day after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned that strikes close to the alliance’s territory demonstrated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror.”

Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Rutte said, “Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine.” He also pledged to strengthen the 32-member alliance’s defences along its long eastern border with Russia.

Drone-related security concerns have repeatedly affected Lithuania, which borders Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Antanas Matutis, commander of the Lithuanian air force, said the drone wreckage had been recovered and that it “likely” carried explosives.

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s crisis management centre, told public broadcaster LRT that the drone most likely entered the country from Belarus. It spent about 30 minutes in Lithuanian airspace and flew along the outskirts of populated areas before being intercepted, he said.

Russian strikes continue across Ukraine

Russian drone strikes continued across Ukraine after U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post Monday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed “not to hit” each other’s energy infrastructure.

Trump provided no further details about the purported agreement, and Russia did not immediately comment. Previous attempts to broker even limited ceasefires have repeatedly collapsed, with Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of violations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday that Kyiv was “ready to support de-escalation.”

“We see that the Russians feel the pressure from our precise strikes on Russia’s war economy. And so far, no one has seen any genuine desire on Russia’s part to move toward ending the war,” he said. “But if our American partners can ensure that Russia is genuinely ready to stop this war aimed at destroying life — and to do so for real and for the long term — Ukraine will take its own de-escalatory steps.”

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Tuesday that eight people had been wounded in Russian strikes on Kyiv since the start of the day. Two of those injured were hurt in attacks on gas stations in the capital.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had shot down 222 Ukrainian drones overnight.

A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack also triggered several fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said. In a Telegram post, he reported damage to two apartment buildings, three private homes, an educational institution, agricultural warehouses and a site belonging to Russian online retailer Ozon.