An air raid siren sounded in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Wednesday following a drone-related incident, prompting authorities to urge residents to seek shelter as a precaution.
Local media reported that government leaders were taken to shelters.
Airspace over the airport was temporarily closed and train services were suspended before the all-clear was given and the alert for Vilnius lifted after around half an hour.
“This incident is similar to what was experienced in recent days in Latvia and Estonia,” the Lithuanian military said. “Warning the population is a standard preventive measure.”
According to Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s crisis management centre, a drone had been sighted over the Vilnius area. Residents of the capital received an urgent warning because of its flight path.
The object later disappeared from radar and its whereabouts are unclear, Vitkauskas said.
Earlier, the armed forces had informed the public of a potential threat posed by a drone in the eastern part of the country. According to reports, a suspected flying object was spotted near the border, approaching Lithuania from the direction of Belarus.
NATO fighter jets were scrambled but were unable to locate it, the military said.
Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO, borders both Russia and Belarus and has experienced several drone-related incidents since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Vilnius lies around 30 kilometres from Belarus.
According to an adviser to President Gitanas Nausėda and to Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, the warning system functioned as intended. Both pointed to identified weaknesses in the system that need to be addressed and emphasized that similar incidents could recur as long as Russia’s war in Ukraine continued.
“We are living next to a war in which new and rapidly evolving technologies are being used,” Ruginienė said after a meeting of the National Security Council. She emphasized that Lithuania is not a passive observer, but takes all threats and incidents seriously and is strengthening its defence.
Parliamentary Speaker Juozas Olekas, who sought refuge in the parliament's bomb shelter along with other lawmakers and staff, praised the public's calm behaviour.
In neighbouring Latvia as well, residents in several regions near the Russian border were issued warnings.
According to the Lithuanian military, Belarus had informed the two countries about a potentially unmanned aerial vehicle approaching their airspace.
