A NATO fighter jet has shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone)\nthat breached Lithuanian airspace in the early hours of Tuesday. The\nincident comes amid rising security tensions in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
The local government reported that the drone was suspected of\ncrossing into southern Lithuania, near the country\u2019s second-largest\ncity, Kaunas. The mysterious object flew in from neighbouring Belarus\nshortly after midnight. Its presence briefly triggered danger warning\nsirens in the capital Vilnius and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda confirmed the military\u2019s firm\naction in an official statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cA drone that had just entered Lithuanian airspace has been destroyed\nby a NATO fighter jet,\u201d Nauseda wrote in a post on the social media\nplatform X.<\/p>\n
Nauseda stressed the importance of preparedness in his country in the\nface of the current security situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Russia steadily intensifying its aggression against Ukraine,\nthis kind of readiness is absolutely vital for our region. Together with\nNATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace,\u201d Nauseda asserted.<\/p>\n
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence said the Lithuanian armed forces\nand Italian pilots serving under the NATO Air Defence Mission had\ndemonstrated a \u201crapid and responsible\u201d response in handling the airspace\nviolation. A spokesperson for Lithuania\u2019s National Crisis Management\nCentre said the origin of the drone is still under investigation. The\nMoscow government has also yet to issue an official comment on the\nincident.<\/p>\n
Tuesday morning\u2019s incident adds to a string of airspace violations in\nthe Baltic region. On Sunday (13\/9), a similar incident was reported in\nwhich an object suspected of entering from Belarus crossed Lithuanian\nterritory before eventually entering Russian airspace. However, Sunday\u2019s\nepisode did not trigger the activation of an air-raid alarm.<\/p>\n
Military drone incursions have become increasingly frequent in Europe\nsince Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At roughly the\nsame time, the Polish authorities also announced \u201caviation operations\u201d\nin their airspace on Monday evening. The preventive step was taken\nfollowing activity by Russian jet-powered drones carrying out attacks on\nUkrainian territory.<\/p>\n
The Polish Armed Forces explained that the move was preventive in\nnature, aimed at securing and protecting its airspace, particularly in\nareas directly bordering the threatened territory.<\/p>\n
For countries such as Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, which joined\nNATO in 2004, such incursion incidents receive serious attention under\nthe framework of NATO\u2019s Article 5 collective defence, which stipulates\nthat an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against\nall members.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nato-shoots-down-drone-that-breached-lithuanian-airspace-1789444309", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }