Ukraine apologizes after suspected drone crashes in Lithuania, damaging moving car
Lithuanian authorities ordered shelter warnings Sunday after a suspected drone struck a moving vehicle. Two NATO Eurofighter jets were deployed as officials investigated the object, with Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas saying it likely entered from Poland.
Ukraine issued an apology on Sunday after a suspected drone crashed in northern Lithuania, damaging a moving civilian vehicle. Lithuanian officials ordered residents in central and northern areas to seek shelter after detecting an unidentified flying object. National crisis management centre chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas confirmed that debris struck the car but that no one was injured. A NATO spokesperson said two Italian Eurofighter jets operating under NATO command were deployed to the area.
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas stated that the drone likely entered from neighboring Poland and proposed a joint investigation with Warsaw. Kaunas noted that weather conditions prevented visual identification of the object. The incident highlighted ongoing concerns about the war spilling onto NATO's eastern flank, as similar drone incursions have previously entered Baltic airspace.
The drone's origin and whether it carried explosives remained under investigation as authorities searched for answers. The event coincided with Lithuanian officials treating an attempted arson attack on a Starlink base station near Vilnius as Russia-linked sabotage.
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Ukraine apologized on Sunday after a suspected drone crashed in northern Lithuania, prompting shelter warnings and the deployment of NATO fighter jets.
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Lithuanian authorities told residents in central and northern regions to seek shelter Sunday morning after detecting an unidentified flying object.
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Debris damaged a moving civilian vehicle, but no one was injured, according to national crisis management centre chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas.
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Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said the drone probably entered from neighboring Poland.
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Two Italian Eurofighter jets operating under NATO command were deployed, a NATO spokesperson said.
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The incident raised fresh concerns about the spillover of Russia's war against Ukraine into NATO territory, although the drone's origin and whether it carried explosives remained under investigation.
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Lithuania said it was treating an attempted arson attack on a Starlink base station near Vilnius as Russia-linked sabotage.
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Kaunas said weather conditions prevented visual identification.
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