Lithuania asks NATO for more air defenses after drones land on its territory

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — U.S. Patriot missile batteries are seen in Poland on April 10, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Smith via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service - DVIDS)

By Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS  -  Lithuania's foreign ministry has written to the NATO military alliance asking it to help strengthen its air defences, it said on Tuesday, after two military drones crossed into its territory from Belarus last month.

"This must not be only Lithuania's responsibility, because we are defending the eastern NATO flank," Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told reporters.

NATO and European Union member Lithuania borders Russia and Moscow's ally, Belarus.

The letter from Lithuania's foreign and defence ministers to NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte said the alliance must show it is ready to defend "every centimetre of its territory".

In an emailed comment, NATO said it was monitoring the situation closely.

"The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Grynkewich, has the ability to decide measures he deems necessary. Allies are also procuring and developing detection and counter-drone capabilities," NATO said.

In the most recent incident, a drone crossed into Lithuania on July 28, which Lithuania suspects was directed by Russia at Ukraine, but that it was disoriented by Ukraine's defences, Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on Tuesday.

The drone was found crashed in a military training area about 100 kilometres (62.14 miles) from the border with Belarus and contained 2 kg (4 lb) of explosives, the chief of staff of the Lithuanian army, Dainius Paskevicius, told reporters.

Sakaliene had earlier identified the object as a Gerbera drone, a wooden copy of an Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drone, which Russian military is known to use.

Another Gerbera drone entered Lithuania from Belarus on July 10, causing alarm before authorities determined it was not dangerous. 

Gintautas Paluckas, then prime minister, and Speaker of Parliament Saulius Skvernelis were briefly taken to bomb shelters in response to the drone entering Lithuanian airspace, according to their spokespersons.

 (Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; editing by Barbara Lewis // REUTERS)