World

Lithuanians forced to take shelter after suspected drone

October 19, 2026 10:12 am

Source: Reuters

A suspected drone exploded over Lithuania after triggering an alert that forced ​residents in northern and central areas to seek shelter for an hour on Sunday morning, ‌the president and other defence officials said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said later it regretted the incident in Lithuania’s airspace, adding that it may have resulted from Russian electronic warfare diverting drones off course.

The object flew into Lithuania’s airspace from Poland, Lithuanian Defence ​Minister Robertas Kaunas told reporters, after proposing a joint investigation to his Polish counterpart.

“Russia’s war ​of aggression against Ukraine is spilling over onto the Eastern flank of NATO and ⁠EU,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on X.

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“What appears to be a drone exploded over the northern ​part of the country, posing a danger to the civilian population,” he added.