On November 11, 2025, newly appointed Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas announced that Lithuanian authorities are coordinating and financing plans to reinforce the nation's air defence. The State Defence Council, chaired by President Gitanas Nausėda, is scheduled to discuss this on November 18. The government’s draft 2026 budget allocates 5.38% of GDP (about 4.8 billion euros) for national defence, the largest in Lithuania’s history. Air defence has become a key concern since summer 2025 following two Russian stray Gerbera drones entering Lithuanian airspace, one carrying explosives. Furthermore, Belarus-launched smuggling balloons caused temporary closures of Vilnius Airport and the border in October 2025, and two Russian aircraft briefly violated Lithuanian airspace the same month. These incidents reflect a broader pattern of Russian airspace violations in Europe, raising fears Moscow is probing NATO defences in a grey zone. NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentry in early September 2025 to bolster eastern flank air and missile defences after Russian drone flights over Poland and unidentified drones in Denmark.

On November 11, 2025, newly appointed Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas announced that Lithuanian authorities are coordinating and financing plans to reinforce the nation's air defence. The State Defence Council, chaired by President Gitanas Nausėda, is scheduled to discuss this on November 18. The government’s draft 2026 budget allocates 5.38% of GDP (about 4.8 billion euros) for national defence, the largest in Lithuania’s history. Air defence has become a key concern since summer 2025 following two Russian stray Gerbera drones entering Lithuanian airspace, one carrying explosives. Furthermore, Belarus-launched smuggling balloons caused temporary closures of Vilnius Airport and the border in October 2025, and two Russian aircraft briefly violated Lithuanian airspace the same month. These incidents reflect a broader pattern of Russian airspace violations in Europe, raising fears Moscow is probing NATO defences in a grey zone. NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentry in early September 2025 to bolster eastern flank air and missile defences after Russian drone flights over Poland and unidentified drones in Denmark.