Italian NATO jet downs drone in Lithuania, minister says it probably came from Russia

SIAULIAI AIR BASE, Lithuania — An Italian NATO fighter jet shot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace on Tuesday that “most probably” came from Russia, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.

The drone entered Lithuanian airspace from Russian ally Belarus after midnight and was shot down near the southern village of Pratkunai not far from the city of Kaunas, the Lithuanian national crisis management centre said.

“Last night, again, the Italian pilots have intervened and they have shot down a threat that most probably came from Russia”, Crosetto told reporters at Siauliai Air Base, where Italian fighters are based as part of the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission.

“The presence of Italian aircraft here is the clear demonstration of the value of the Atlantic alliance for Italy and what it means to be an ally,” he said after meeting crews with Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas.

Debris of what, according to the Lithuanian government, was a drone shot down by a NATO fighter jet, lies on the ground near Pratkunai village, Lithuania, Sept. 15, 2026, in this screen grab from a handout video. (Lithuanian Army/Handout via Reuters)

Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.

Kaunas said on social media the drone carried an explosive.

After the drone debris is examined, “then we will be able to say clearly, whether this is a Russian drone and it’s possibly a provocation, or whether it is another country’s drone,” he told reporters.

Ukrainian drones have repeatedly entered NATO airspace in the Baltic region in recent months. Kyiv says they were steered off course by Russian signal jamming.

A drone alert had been issued in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and the surrounding region earlier on Tuesday.

The Lithuanian Army shared video from the site of the crash, showing debris scattered in the grass. Some of the parts appeared to be made of wood and some appeared charred.

Fighters with the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission have patrolled the skies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since the Baltic countries joined the alliance in 2004. The mission’s jets shot down stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia in May, and over Latvia in June and August.

Military drones straying into the airspace of Russia’s neighbors have stoked concerns that Russia’s war in Ukraine is spilling over NATO’s borders.

Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea area.

立陶宛希奥利艾空军基地——意大利国防部长圭多·克罗塞托表示，周二，一架意大利北约战斗机在立陶宛领空击落了一架无人机，该无人机“极有可能”来自俄罗斯。

立陶宛国家危机管理中心表示，这架无人机在午夜过后从俄罗斯盟友白俄罗斯进入立陶宛领空，并在距离考纳斯市不远的南部村庄普拉特库奈附近被击落。

“昨晚，意大利飞行员再次介入，击落了一架很可能来自俄罗斯的威胁飞机，”克罗塞托在希奥利艾空军基地告诉记者。意大利战斗机驻扎在该基地，参与北约波罗的海防空任务。

“意大利飞机的出现清楚地表明了大西洋联盟对意大利的价值，以及成为盟友的意义，”他在与立陶宛国防部长罗伯塔斯·考纳斯会见机组人员后说道。

这张截取自立陶宛政府提供的视频截图显示，2026年9月15日，在立陶宛普拉特库奈村附近，一架据立陶宛政府称被北约战斗机击落的无人机残骸散落在地面上。（立陶宛军方/路透社提供）

俄罗斯方面尚未对此事发表评论。

考纳斯在社交媒体上表示，这架无人机携带了爆炸物。

他告诉记者：“在对无人机残骸进行检查后，我们就能清楚地判断，这究竟是俄罗斯的无人机，是否具有挑衅性，还是其他国家的无人机。”

近几个月来，乌克兰无人机多次进入波罗的海地区的北约领空。基辅方面称，这些无人机是受到俄罗斯信号干扰而偏离航线的。

周二早些时候，立陶宛首都维尔纽斯及其周边地区发布了无人机警报。

立陶宛军方公布了坠机现场的视频，视频显示飞机残骸散落在草地上。部分残骸似乎由木头制成，部分则已被烧焦。

自波罗的海三国于 2004 年加入北约以来，北约波罗的海防空任务的战斗机一直在拉脱维亚、立陶宛和爱沙尼亚的上空巡逻。该任务的战机在 5 月份击落了飞越爱沙尼亚上空的乌克兰无人机，并在 6 月和 8 月份击落了飞越拉脱维亚上空的乌克兰无人机。

俄罗斯军用无人机闯入邻国领空，引发了人们对俄罗斯在乌克兰的战争蔓延到北约边界的担忧。

乌克兰加大了对俄罗斯的远程无人机袭击力度，包括在波罗的海地区。