NATO jet shoots down suspected Russian drone over Lithuania

EU chief warns of wider conflict as border incursions stoke fears that Ukraine war is spilling into neighbouring states.

NATO has pledged more support for Ukraine as European leaders warn that Russia's war is expanding [File: Ints Kalnins/Reuters]

An Italian fighter jet flying for NATO has brought down what officials said was a suspected Russian drone in Lithuanian airspace.

According to Lithuania’s national crisis management centre, the drone entered the country’s airspace on Tuesday from Belarus and was shot down near the small settlement of Pratkunai in central Lithuania, just north of the country’s second-largest city, Kaunas.

list 1 of 3 Russia warns Denmark after near miss in Baltic Sea

list 2 of 3 Ukraine drone strikes kill four as Russia attacks close to Poland border

list 3 of 3 NATO pledges more Ukraine support after Russia strikes near Poland

Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on social media the drone was carrying an explosive.

Debris from the device was being examined to determine if it was from Russia or another country.

The intervention by the Italian fighter jet demonstrated “the value of the Atlantic alliance” and “what it means to be an ally”, Kaunas said after meeting crews who were at the scene.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the incident part of a pattern of “aggression and provocation” against Europe. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul laid the blame on Russia, saying that NATO members would not be intimidated.

Russian officials did not immediately comment on the incident.

The drone was intercepted over Lithuania after Russia fired flares at a Danish military helicopter monitoring a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea on Monday.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, that “recent days show that Russia’s actions threaten the security of the entire Europe”.

The escalations followed a series of Russian drone strikes on Sunday, prompting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to pledge more support for Ukraine. Russian drones hit a train close to the Polish border, minutes after a delegation of current and former officials from the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe passed through the station.

At a press conference, Kaunas warned that the Russia-Ukraine war has spread and that incidents would continue unless there was a negotiated settlement, but maintained that “Putin does not want” a peaceful settlement.

欧盟负责人警告称，边境入侵事件加剧了人们对乌克兰战争蔓延至邻国的担忧，可能导致冲突扩大。

北约承诺加大对乌克兰的支持力度，与此同时，欧洲领导人警告称，俄罗斯的战争正在扩大。[图片来源：Ints Kalnins/路透社]

一架为北约效力的意大利战斗机在立陶宛领空击落了一架据官员称疑似俄罗斯无人机。

据立陶宛国家危机管理中心称，这架无人机于周二从白俄罗斯进入立陶宛领空，并在立陶宛中部普拉特库奈小镇附近被击落，该小镇位于立陶宛第二大城市考纳斯以北。

列表 1/3 俄罗斯在波罗的海险些发生碰撞后向丹麦发出警告

乌克兰无人机袭击致四人死亡，俄罗斯袭击波兰边境附近地区（共三条，此为第二条）

北约承诺在俄罗斯袭击波兰附近地区后加大对乌克兰的支持力度（共3项，此为第3项）

立陶宛国防部长罗伯塔斯·考纳斯在社交媒体上表示，这架无人机携带了爆炸物。

正在对该装置的碎片进行检查，以确定其是否来自俄罗斯或其他国家。

考纳斯在会见了现场的机组人员后表示，意大利战斗机的介入展现了“大西洋联盟的价值”和“成为盟友的意义”。

欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩称此次事件是针对欧洲的一系列“侵略和挑衅”行为的一部分。德国外交部长约翰·瓦德普尔则将矛头指向俄罗斯，并表示北约成员国不会被吓倒。

俄罗斯官员尚未就此事发表评论。

周一，俄罗斯向一架在波罗的海监视俄罗斯军舰的丹麦军用直升机发射照明弹后，这架无人机在立陶宛上空被拦截。

波兰国防部长瓦迪斯瓦夫·科西尼亚克-卡梅什周二在X网站上发帖称，“近几日的迹象表明，俄罗斯的行动威胁着整个欧洲的安全”。

此前，俄罗斯无人机周日发动了一系列袭击，导致局势升级。北约秘书长马克·吕特承诺将加大对乌克兰的支持力度。就在几分钟前，一个由英国、美国和欧洲现任及前任官员组成的代表团刚刚经过波兰边境附近的一个车站。

在新闻发布会上，考纳斯警告说，俄乌战争已经蔓延，除非通过谈判解决，否则冲突将会继续发生，但他同时表示，“普京不希望”和平解决冲突。