Lithuania declares and lifts yellow-level air alert as NATO fighter jets scramble
On Sunday, Lithuania briefly issued a yellow-level air threat alert in several areas including Vilnius over a suspected drone, prompting NATO fighter jets to scramble before the alert was lifted about half an hour later. Vilnius airport temporarily halted operations during the incident.
Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre announced on Sunday afternoon that a yellow-level air threat alert previously declared for Vilnius, the Vilnius district, and the Trakai and Elektrėnai districts had been lifted.
Centre director Vilmantas Vitkauskas told Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT that the situation appeared resolved, barring any change in radar readings. The alert had been in effect for roughly half an hour after 1 p.m.
What happened
A yellow-level alert indicates that an attack is possible but has not yet occurred, and residents are advised to remain calm while finding safe shelter. In response to the suspected threat, NATO fighter jets scrambled from the Šiauliai air base, while Vilnius airport temporarily suspended operations. Lithuania's largest retail chain, Maxima, also briefly halted operations at 70 stores across Vilnius, the Vilnius district, and the Trakai, Elektrėnai, Daugai and Pabradė districts.
Origin of the signal unclear
Vitkauskas said the object picked up by radar was not necessarily a drone. The flying object's signal was detected south of Vilnius, with a trajectory heading toward Lentvaris, near the capital. NATO fighter pilots confirmed the threat was no longer current.
Earlier on Sunday, the Lithuanian army reported that at 4:05 a.m. air force radars near Varėna, in the country's south, detected a flying object crossing Lithuanian territory before entering Russia's Kaliningrad region. The object is believed to have entered Lithuania from Belarus.
