Nato jets down drone that entered Lithuanian airspace

Nato fighter pilots have shot down a drone that entered Lithuania's airspace overnight, the Lithuanian president said.

Authorities said the drone likely entered southern Lithuania, near the second-largest city of Kaunas, from neighbouring Belarus shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda wrote in a statement on X: "A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets."

The origins of the drone are yet to be determined, a spokesperson for the Lithuanian national crisis management centre said.

Drone alerts sounded across the capital Vilnius and surrounding region earlier on Tuesday.

Lithuania's armed forces and Italian pilots serving in the Nato Air Defence Mission "showed a swift and responsible response" to the drone incursion, Lithuania's Ministry of Defence said.

Nausėda's post on social media added: "With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace."

Lithuania shares a large part of its southern and eastern border with Belarus, a key Russian ally.