NATO fighters scrambled and Vilnius airport airspace closed in Lithuania due to drone threat
Kyiv • UNN
NATO fighters were scrambled and the airport was closed in Lithuania due to a UAV threat. The air alert has been canceled; there were no reports of a drone crash.
In southern Lithuania, specifically in the country's capital Vilnius, an air raid alert was announced on the morning of May 20 due to the possible penetration of a drone into Lithuanian airspace, reports Delfi, according to UNN.
Details
NATO fighter jets patrolling the airspace were scrambled after a radar signal with characteristics typical of a UAV was detected near the Lithuanian border on Wednesday, the Lithuanian Army reported.
"We inform you that the reason for sending warnings to the population was a recorded radar mark with features characteristic of unmanned aerial vehicles. Activity is observed near the Lithuanian border. The NATO Baltic Air Policing mission has been activated," the Lithuanian Army's Wednesday morning statement said, as reported by LRT.
Operations at Vilnius Airport were suspended. According to Lithuanian media, residents received messages urging them to proceed to shelters.
As Delfi points out, people headed to shelters, including members of parliament.
After the air raid alert was announced in the Lithuanian capital, planes flying to Vilnius were diverted to other airports. Two flights—SK744 and TK1407—were diverted to Riga. Possible flight delays are being reported.
The country's National Crisis Management Center reported that an air threat warning was issued for residents of 4 districts; an air raid alert was also announced in the Vilnius district but has since been canceled.
Air Navigation reported the reopening of the airspace over Vilnius Airport (VNO).
"This event is similar to what we have observed in Latvia and Estonia in recent days; warning the population is a standard preventive measure," the center noted.
As the publication points out, as the Russian military diverts Ukrainian drones off course, airspace violations have been recorded in the Baltic states and Finland in recent months.
LRT indicates that the Lithuanian police stated no reports of a drone crash on the country's territory have been received.