NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania shortly after midnight on 15 September, after the aircraft entered Lithuanian airspace and was brought down near Pratkunai, close to Kaunas. Lithuanian authorities identified the incident as an airspace violation, while the drone’s exact type and ownership remained unconfirmed.
Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said preliminary information indicated the drone likely crossed in from Belarus, though its origin had not been fully determined. Debris was recovered at the crash site and investigators moved in to examine the wreckage, with no casualties reported.
President Gitanas Nausėda thanked NATO personnel for their rapid response and pointed to the alliance’s air defences as central to regional security amid Russia’s war against Ukraine. The interception appears to be the first known drone shootdown over Lithuania, underscoring the pressure on NATO air policing in the Baltic states as spillover risks from the conflict persist.