Lithuania's air raid alert triggered by flock of birds, not a drone
An air raid alert issued around Vilnius over a suspected drone was lifted after NATO fighter jets confirmed the radar contact was actually a flock of birds, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre has officially confirmed.
Lithuania briefly went on alert on Saturday after the military and other services received indications of an unidentified object in the country's airspace. Authorities assessed the situation immediately, and within minutes a yellow air raid alert was declared in Vilnius city and the Vilnius, Trakai and Elektrėnai districts, with residents advised to identify a safe shelter location in advance.
NATO jets called in
To determine exactly what was in the airspace, fighter jets from NATO's air policing mission over the Baltics were scrambled. After inspection, it turned out that the radar contact — initially treated as a possible drone — was in fact a flock of birds in flight. Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre explained that, in early radar data, signatures from birds and from unmanned aerial vehicles can look similar, which is why uncertain cases require an additional check involving the air force.
Alert lifted
Once the situation was clarified, the yellow air raid alert was cancelled. News of the episode was first reported by the Lithuanian outlet Lrytas.lt, and shortly afterwards the National Crisis Management Centre officially confirmed there had been no actual threat.
The incident came amid heightened attention across the Baltic region to possible airspace violations and drone sightings, which is why authorities respond quickly to any unclear radar readings, including by calling in NATO forces to verify an object's identity.
