Lithuania briefly issues air alert due to meteorological balloon

This morning, a brief air alert was issued in Lithuania's Vilnius region due to suspicions of an approaching drone. The yellow alert was activated, meaning residents were not required to seek shelter but had to be prepared and know where the nearest shelter is. NATO Baltic air patrol fighters were scrambled in response.

Shortly after, it was determined that the suspicious object was not a drone but a meteorological balloon that had entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, and the alert was canceled. Notably, NATO fighters have recently shot down drones twice over the Baltic states — first over Estonia and then over Latvia.