15min reports that on Tuesday night, some residents of Lithuania were awakened by alerts on their phones about a potential air threat.
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As a result, NATO fighter jets were scrambled, and planes scheduled to land at Vilnius airport from Reykjavik, Antalya, and Warsaw were forced to circle for a while.
It was eventually reported that the drone was shot down. Initially, the location was announced as Alytus district, Navasiolkai village. Later, the location was corrected to Kaišiadorys district, near Pratkūnai village.
“Lithuanian citizens must remain vigilant”
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas revealed to 15min that the drone was identified in time.
“The object was identified in time as an airspace violation. The NATO air defense mission was activated. Residents received warning messages. The entire operation was carried out quite precisely, and the NATO air defense mission neutralized the object,” said R. Kaunas.
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According to him, services are currently heading to the location where the drone, shot down by fighter jets, is preliminarily believed to have fallen.
“The area will be cordoned off, debris will be found, and further investigations will be carried out,” the minister said.
When asked if there were any injured people, he stated that “there is no such information at the moment, again – the mission on the ground is ongoing, the latest information is constantly being received and will be clarified.”
When asked if Lithuania can sleep peacefully, the minister emphasized that “Lithuanian citizens must remain vigilant, but as we see, both the Lithuanian Armed Forces and other institutions work around the clock, are able to inform our citizens in time, and NATO partners successfully ensure security in our skies.”
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