Lithuania, a NATO member, has declared a 90-kilometer no-fly zone near its capital along the country's border with Belarus in response to drone incursions from there, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
"This was done considering the security situation and threats to society, including risks to civil aviation due to airspace violations by unmanned aerial vehicles," a spokesman for the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.
The no-fly zone will allow the Lithuanian armed forces to respond to airspace violations, the statement said.
Lithuania shares a 679-kilometer border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia. The capital, Vilnius, is located approximately 30 kilometers from the border.
The no-fly zone was established on August 14 and extends from the ground to 3.7 kilometers, according to the air navigation authority. Aircraft in this zone face "risk of interception and/or collision in case of penetration."
Lithuania appealed to NATO for increased air defense capabilities after two unmanned military aircraft, identified as "Gerbera" drones, which Russia builds and uses against Ukraine, flew from Belarus into Lithuania and crashed in July.
During the last incident, on July 28, a drone armed with 2 kg of explosives flew over Vilnius before crashing at a military training ground used by the German army, approximately 100 kilometers from the border.
Authorities stated that the drone was likely directed by Russia at Ukraine, but it was disoriented by Ukrainian defense systems, the publication writes.
Another "Gerbera" drone flew into Lithuania from Belarus on July 10, which led to Gintautas Paluckas, then Prime Minister, and Parliament Speaker Saulius Skvernelis being briefly taken to bomb shelters before authorities decided that the drone posed no danger.
Addition
Polish officials reported on Wednesday that a Russian drone crashed in a field in eastern Poland, an incident that the country's defense minister called a provocation.
According to the Estonian air navigation authority, Estonia has imposed a no-fly zone along its entire border with Russia from July 31 to August 25, citing "unmanned aerial vehicle activity."