NATO jets fail twice to shoot down drone over northern Lithuania as Baltic airspace alerts spread

NATO fighter jets twice failed to shoot down an unidentified drone over northern Lithuania overnight, in an incident that triggered air-raid warnings across the Baltic states and precautionary restrictions in Finland. The aircraft crossed from Belarus into Lithuania, briefly entered Polish airspace, then moved back into Lithuania before continuing north toward Latvia and Estonia. It later headed toward Russia, according to the information released by Lithuanian officials.

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Lithuanian authorities said the drone was first detected at around 1.20am local time, after three unmanned aircraft were initially seen operating in Belarusian airspace and moving north toward Latvia. Latvia's armed forces later reported that two additional aerial targets entered Latvian airspace from the direction of Belarus and then departed. NATO fighter jets tracked the drone as it travelled toward the Latvian border, but two attempts to destroy it near Biržai were unsuccessful.

One missile fired during the interception attempt missed the drone and fell to the ground, officials said. The drone then crossed into Latvia, where NATO air policing fighters were unable to get into position to shoot it down. It subsequently passed into Estonia and eventually into Russia.

Authorities said the drone's type, origin and whether it was carrying explosives remained unknown. The incident matters because it involved several NATO members and unfolded across multiple national airspaces in a short period of time. It also comes at a time when the Baltic states remain on alert over spillover risks from the war in Ukraine and wider regional military activity.

The overnight warnings in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, together with Finland's temporary restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland, show how quickly such incidents can affect civilian safety measures and aviation planning. Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas, chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Defence Staff, said there was no confirmed information about the drone's type. He said it was not yet possible to determine whether the aircraft was Ukrainian or Russian, although one possibility was that it had been diverted from its intended course by electronic warfare measures.

He stressed that this remained an assumption rather than a confirmed explanation. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda described the night as "restless and difficult" and warned that further incursions were possible. He linked the risk to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, saying combat drones could continue to enter Lithuanian territory while that conflict continues.

What remains unclear is who launched the drone, what it was carrying, and whether the failed interception will lead to changes in Baltic air defence procedures. Officials are still assessing the full route and the consequences of the missile that missed and fell to the ground.

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