Lithuania's president and prime minister were rushed to underground bunkers on Wednesday after a drone violated the country's airspace, triggering the first mobile phone 'take shelter' alert in an EU and Nato country since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Residents of the capital, Vilnius, were urged to take shelter, and air and train traffic was suspended for about an hour.
The alert, sent at approximately 10:20am, instructed residents to 'go immediately to a shelter or a safe place'. Schools moved children to designated shelters, and people in offices and apartment buildings went to basements. President Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, cabinet members and MPs were taken to bunkers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen blamed Russia and Belarus for a spate of drone incursions into EU and Nato airspace, stating that 'Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drones endangering the lives and security of people on our eastern flank'. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that even if drones were launched by Ukraine, they were there due to Russia's 'reckless, illegal, full-scale attack'.
Lithuania's army detected a radar signal 'typical of an unmanned aerial vehicle' in Belarusian airspace. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the drone came from Latvia, and it was unknown whether it crashed or left Lithuanian airspace. Nato fighter jets were unable to locate it. Russian electronic jamming has been blamed for Ukrainian drones crossing into Baltic states and Finland.
Some EU and Nato members called for a firmer response. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the conflict 'may soon lead to a situation where we will have to react firmly'. Russia's ambassador to the UN sparked outrage by claiming Kyiv would launch drones from the Baltic states, and telling Latvia that Nato membership would 'not protect you from retaliation'. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia's military was monitoring the situation and formulating a response.
