Thousands of people were urged to take shelter across the Baltic region on Sunday after an unidentified flying object triggered a red alert in Lithuania, prompting the closure of Kaunas airport and the scrambling of NATO fighter jets.
The incident heightened security concerns along the alliance’s eastern flank, where governments have faced mounting pressure to respond to aerial incursions linked to the war in Ukraine.
Lithuanian authorities said possible debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle had been found near the northern village of Juodzionys after the object disappeared from radar. Investigators were examining the material to establish its origin and the circumstances surrounding an apparent explosion.
The armed forces said the drone might not have been intercepted by air defences and could instead have detonated by itself.
“The circumstances of the incident, including the possible origin of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the possible cause of the explosion, are still under investigation,” officials said.
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Poland’s armed forces were also investigating a possible violation of the country’s airspace, after the object was reported to have entered from Polish territory. No definitive attribution had been made.
Latvia, Lithuania’s northern neighbour, issued a yellow air warning in regions bordering Lithuania, citing a possible threat. Its military advised residents in central and northern parts of the country to take shelter.
The alert came as Romania reported a separate confrontation with unidentified drones over the Black Sea. Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two jet-powered drones over the country’s territorial waters on Sunday, according to the defence ministry.
The aircraft were identified as belonging to the Geran family of attack drones, which Russia frequently deploys against targets in Ukraine. Romania’s ministry did not specify which country the drones belonged to.
The incidents underline the growing risks posed by the spillover of aerial warfare around NATO’s borders. Even when the origin or intent of an unidentified aircraft remains unclear, such episodes can force alliance members to scramble military aircraft, restrict civilian aviation and issue urgent public warnings.
For the Baltic states, which border Russia or its close ally Belarus, the latest alert was a reminder that the war next door can generate immediate security consequences — even before investigators establish what crossed the border.
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