Lithuania closes Vilnius airport and NATO scrambles fighter jets over suspected drone incursion

Airspace detection and early morning flight path

Lithuanian Air Force radar units identified an unidentified aerial target near the southern town of Varėna at 04:05 local time on Sunday. Military tracking indicated that the craft crossed into Lithuanian territory from Belarusian airspace before heading directly toward the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The object traversed Lithuanian skies for approximately 20 minutes, covering a corridor of between 60 and 70 kilometres. Local residents along the southern flight corridor reported hearing the device pass overhead before it exited Lithuanian airspace and crossed the Kaliningrad border at 04:25. Lithuanian defence officials evaluated the radar track in real time and determined that the available parameters showed no immediate threat directed at Lithuanian ground facilities or civilian population centres.

Alert issuance and NATO jet deployment

Later in the day, around 13:00 local time, Lithuanian authorities issued a yellow air alert after receiving additional reports of possible drone activity. The warning encompassed Vilnius and its immediate vicinity, extending into the neighbouring districts of Trakai and Elektrėnai. Aviation regulators suspended all flight operations at Vilnius International Airport, halting departures and landings. In response to the alert, NATO scrambled fighter aircraft deployed at the Šiauliai air base in northern Lithuania. The scrambled aircraft belonged to the Italian Air Force, which currently operates from Šiauliai under the alliance's Baltic Air Policing mission. The shutdown at the capital's international airport remained in effect for less than one hour while defence personnel evaluated the airspace.

Official statements and alert cancellation

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC), confirmed that authorities initiated an official investigation into the aerial breach. During the active phase of the incident, officials advised residents to identify nearby shelter locations while air defence personnel worked to neutralise any airborne hazards.

The investigation is still underway. Without having the object in our hands, it is very difficult to draw conclusions, but based on the recorded parameters, it is very likely an unmanned aircraft.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces issued an emergency message formally ending the air alert under code white once surveillance confirmed no active craft remained overhead. Vitkauskas addressed the situation directly on national radio.

There is no threat, people can calm down.

Broader regional airspace incursions

Sunday's airspace violation follows a pattern of aerial incursions recorded along NATO's eastern flank since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Several Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles targeting strategic facilities in Russia's Leningrad region have entered Lithuanian airspace in recent years. In March 2026, a drone explosion took place near Lithuania's border with Belarus. Vitkauskas observed that the 20 minutes the object spent in Lithuanian territory provided enough time to cause damage had it struck a target, reinforcing the need for rapid radar assessment and air policing readiness across the Baltic region.