NATO fighter jets twice failed to bring down a drone over Lithuania overnight into 11 November, with missile debris recovered near Biržai in the country’s north. Lithuanian officials have not established the aircraft’s origin or whether it carried explosives. The prime minister announced an investigation after the failed engagements and disruption to aviation.
Fighter jets of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) twice failed to destroy a drone over Lithuania during the night of 10–11 November. Missile debris was recovered near Biržai, a town in northern Lithuania. The aircraft had entered from Belarus and continued towards Latvia after the attempted interceptions. Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius announced a detailed investigation.[1], [2]
Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas, chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Defence Staff, said the drone’s type and origin had not been confirmed. Officials could not establish whether it was Ukrainian or Russian, or whether it carried explosives. Premeneckas suggested electronic warfare might have diverted the aircraft, explicitly describing that explanation as an assumption.[1]
Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre also tracked suspected meteorological balloons during the night. Its head, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, reported around 10 balloon-related radar sightings. Departures were allowed while landings were restricted, affecting three flights and about 470 passengers. He said Belarusian authorities supplied information about objects detected on their side of the border.[1]
