‘A restless and difficult night’ in the Baltics as NATO fighter jets fail to shoot down drone
Lithuania’s president said four drones and dozens of suspected meteorological balloon sightings were detected moving from Belarus towards NATO's external border.
NATO fighter jets made two unsuccessful attempts to shoot down a drone over northern Lithuania overnight. Unidentified aerial objects prompted air-raid warnings and precautionary restrictions in the Baltic states and Finland. Three unmanned aircraft were initially detected in Belarusian airspace, with two more entering Latvian airspace from Belarus.
A fourth drone crossed from Belarus into Lithuania, but did not pose a threat. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda described the night as "restless and difficult" due to the drone incursions and the possibility of more to come. The incident follows a series of drone intrusions in recent months, including an explosion in Lithuania in October and a NATO drone shootdown in Latvia in September.
Authorities in Lithuania also investigated suspicious meteorological balloons, causing disruptions at airports and affecting flights and passengers.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
