Ukraine apologizes as suspected drone crashes in Lithuania, damaging a moving car
Warnings and damage reported
Lithuanian authorities urged people in central and northern areas to take shelter Sunday morning after an unidentified object was detected in the sky. Debris from the incident damaged a civilian car that was moving, but nobody was injured, crisis management chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas told Lithuanian radio.
The suspected drone fell in northern Lithuania. Officials have not determined where it came from or whether it was carrying explosives.
NATO jets deployed
Two Italian Eurofighter aircraft serving under NATO command were sent to the area, according to a NATO spokesperson. Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said poor weather kept the pilots from identifying the object visually.
Kaunas said the drone likely came into Lithuania from neighboring Poland and suggested that Warsaw and Vilnius conduct a joint inquiry. The aircraft’s route and origin remain under investigation.
War spillover concerns
Ukraine apologized on Sunday. Kyiv said Russian jamming could have pushed drones off course while they were headed toward targets in Russia. Ukrainian drones aimed at northwestern Russia have strayed into Baltic airspace and crashed before. Separately, Russian-made drones have entered Lithuania from Belarus, and Lithuania and other Baltic countries have faced several incursions during the war.
President Gitanas Nausėda called the latest incident another sign that the war is reaching NATO’s eastern flank. The episode has renewed concern about the conflict’s effects beyond Ukraine.
Key points
- Debris from a suspected drone damaged a moving car in northern Lithuania; no one was injured.
- Lithuania issued shelter warnings, and NATO deployed two Italian Eurofighter jets.
- The drone’s origin and whether it carried explosives remain under investigation.
- Ukraine apologized and said Russian jamming may have diverted drones intended for Russia.