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Lithuania has asked NATO to help bolster its air defences after revealing that two Russian military drones flew into its territory from Belarus last month.
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Wednesday that he had spoken with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss “regional security and the recent drone incidents in Lithuania”.
The pair “agreed on the need of immediate steps to strengthen air defence capabilities along NATO’s frontlines,” Budrys wrote in a post on X.
Earlier this week, Lithuania said that a drone had crossed into the country on 28 July.
Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that the drone was likely directed by Russia towards Kyiv but became disorientated by Ukraine’s defences and unintentionally entered Lithuanian territory.
The drone, which was found in a military training area days later, was carrying explosives, according to the country’s Prosecutor-General Nida Grunskiene.
Authorities identified it as a Russian Gerbera drone, a type usually used as a decoy in Moscow’s strikes against Ukraine, according to local media reports.
Separately, the Lithuanian foreign ministry said earlier this month that it had demanded an explanation from Minsk over the “unlawful entry of a Russian-made Gerbera multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on 10 July.”
“These repeated incidents represent an alarming sign of the spillover of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine onto NATO territory,” Budrys said on X on Tuesday.
“Air defence is vital to allied security. Securing NATO’s Eastern Flank must remain a top priority for the Alliance.”
NATO and EU member Lithuania borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Moscow-allied Belarus.
In January, the Baltic state said it would raise its defence spending to between 5% and 6% of GDP starting next year, from the just over 3% it currently spends.
That made it the first NATO nation to vow to reach a new 5% target long demanded by US President Donald Trump.
Russia has ramped up strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders such as Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war.
In addition to Lithuania, other eastern flank countries such as Romania, Poland and Latvia have reported incidents such as Russian drones violating their airspace and missiles being fired near their respective borders with Ukraine.
Lithuania’s request to NATO came amid the Lithuanian government’s resignation following Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas’ decision to step down last week amid a series of corruption allegations.
President Gitanas Nausėda appointed Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius as acting prime minister. He’ll serve as the government’s caretaker until a new cabinet is sworn in.
Additional sources • AP
