Lithuania Asks NATO for Air Defences After Drone Intrusions

'This cannot only be the responsibility of Lithuania, because we are protecting NATO's eastern flank,' Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on Tuesday. A NATO and EU member of 3 million people, Lithuania borders Russia and Belarus.

In a joint letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Lithuania's foreign and defence ministers underlined the need for the alliance to show that it would defend "each inch of its territory. NATO replied that the Alliance has access to developments, and we are closely following this. Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Grynkewich, is authorised to take necessary actions. The alliance also highlighted continuing efforts by the member states to purchase and create drone detection and interception systems.

Drone Incursions Spark Security Measures
The last drone overflight happened on July 28, when a Russian-origin unmanned aerial vehicle violated Lithuanian airspace and crashed some one hundred kilometres from the Belarusian border. The drone likely was shot out of the sky by Ukrainian defences after being launched towards Ukraine, Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said.

The armed drone that was shot down had been loaded with two kilograms of explosives and was believed to be a "Gerbera" drone, a wooden mock-up variant of the Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones used by the Russian military, according to stakeholders in Lithuania. On July 10, a similar drone flew from Poland to Lithuania and was intercepted by the security forces. Quarantine at Seimas was lifted a few hours later; thus, it was decided that the envelope did not pose any threat — high-level officials, including then Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and Speaker of Parliament Saulius Skvernelis, had been temporarily evacuated.

These incidents have increased concerns about the security of Lithuania's airspace, particularly given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Lithuanian government has, in response, said it will develop an anti-drone defence system to protect critical infrastructure – such as the power grid, water supply, transportation and communications networks.

Lithuania's pleas to the NATO alliance reveal how dangerous that front could become if yet more blood is to be spilt fighting for control of Ukraine, even as the war remains focused in the Eastern provinces.