A drone entered Lithuanian airspace early in the morning from Poland, flew across nearly the entire country, and crashed near the Latvian border in Pasvalys district. The drone's debris damaged the doors of a moving car, but no injuries were reported. Lithuanian fighter jets from Šiauliai Air Base were scrambled to intercept the drone around 06:00 UTC, but it was not shot down due to poor weather conditions, including fog and cloud cover preventing visual contact. Radar detected the drone, and a defense plan named 'skydas' was activated. Residents in Kaunas region received warnings starting around 07:00 UTC, with flights temporarily suspended at Kaunas airport. However, people in Pasvalys district were not warned as no instruction was given to open shelters. Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius and Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed investigation and actions in response. Poland's Defense Ministry denied claims that the drone was launched from its territory. Officials speculate the drone may have carried explosives, linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict spilling into NATO's eastern flank. The incident highlights challenges in timely airspace intrusion detection and civilian warning dissemination in Lithuania.

A drone entered Lithuanian airspace early in the morning from Poland, flew across nearly the entire country, and crashed near the Latvian border in Pasvalys district. The drone's debris damaged the doors of a moving car, but no injuries were reported. Lithuanian fighter jets from Šiauliai Air Base were scrambled to intercept the drone around 06:00 UTC, but it was not shot down due to poor weather conditions, including fog and cloud cover preventing visual contact. Radar detected the drone, and a defense plan named 'skydas' was activated. Residents in Kaunas region received warnings starting around 07:00 UTC, with flights temporarily suspended at Kaunas airport. However, people in Pasvalys district were not warned as no instruction was given to open shelters. Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius and Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed investigation and actions in response. Poland's Defense Ministry denied claims that the drone was launched from its territory. Officials speculate the drone may have carried explosives, linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict spilling into NATO's eastern flank. The incident highlights challenges in timely airspace intrusion detection and civilian warning dissemination in Lithuania.