Lithuania has lodged a formal protest with Belarus after a drone entered its airspace from Belarus during the night of September 14–15, 2026, prompting Italian fighter jets assigned to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission to shoot it down near the Kruonis Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a representative of the Belarusian Embassy and handed over a note of protest. Vilnius demanded a full explanation of the incident, called on Minsk to prevent comparable events, and said Belarus should maintain effective control of its territory and airspace so that actions threatening neighboring countries’ security do not occur.
NATO fighters intercept drone
Lithuania’s military detected the aircraft after it crossed into the country from Belarus. Italian fighters operating from the Šiauliai air base under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission then shot it down near the Kruonis facility. The source did not identify the type of drone or provide details on its payload, flight profile or means of interception.
Authorities issued an air-raid alert for residents in the Vilnius and Kaunas areas after the drone was detected. The episode was reported as the first occasion on which Lithuanian military forces have brought down a drone in the country’s airspace, according to LRT. The report noted that similar drone-related incidents had previously been recorded in Latvia and Estonia.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said further measures would be considered after investigators establish the drone’s exact origin. Lithuania has informed allied countries about the event and intends to consult them on the security situation, according to the report.
Second crossing in two nights
The shootdown followed another cross-border drone incident one night earlier. On September 13–14, an unidentified object entered Lithuania from Belarus and continued toward Russia’s Kaliningrad Region. It remained in Lithuanian airspace for about 20 minutes and could not be shot down, the report said.
Recorded flight data later established that the earlier intruder was an unmanned aerial vehicle. It travelled about 60 to 70 kilometres through Lithuanian airspace before heading to Kaliningrad, making the September 14–15 event the second drone incursion from Belarusian territory in two days.
Lithuanian experts cited by the report said one possible explanation for the earlier flight was that the drone had been used by smugglers. That assessment was presented as a possibility, not a confirmed finding. Authorities have likewise not established the exact origin of the drone shot down near Kruonis, leaving its operator and purpose under investigation.
