Citizens in Lithuania’s capital city were ordered to seek immediate shelter Wednesday after military officials detected drone activity close to the Belarus border, highlighting security anxieties among NATO’s eastern member countries amid Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Military authorities issued an emergency alert instructing people throughout the capital region to “immediately head to a shelter or a safe place.”
The warning, which remained active for approximately one hour, prompted officials to shut down airspace above the city’s main airport. President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene were moved to secure locations, while Lithuania’s parliament, known as the Seimas, was also evacuated according to BNS news agency reports.
This marked the first significant emergency that forced citizens and government officials in a European Union and NATO member capital to seek shelter since Russia launched its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Lithuania shares borders with Russia-allied Belarus on its eastern side and Russia’s Kaliningrad territory to the west. Wednesday’s emergency alert followed military detection of drone movement within Belarus, though no unmanned aircraft were observed flying over Lithuanian territory.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised the alliance’s handling of multiple recent drone incidents on Wednesday, describing the response as “a calm, decisive and proportionate response.” Rutte stated: “This is exactly what we planned and prepared for,” while attributing the situation to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Over recent months, Ukrainian drones targeting Russia have repeatedly entered or crashed within NATO member territory. Western authorities have attributed these incidents to suspected Russian electronic interference with the unmanned aircraft. Russia has escalated its warnings that it would strike back if Ukrainian drones are launched from Baltic nations or if those countries assist in their deployment against Russian targets.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys posted on social media Tuesday evening that “Russia is deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones into Baltic airspace while waging smear campaigns” against Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. “It’s a transparent act of desperation — an attempt to sow chaos and distract from a simple reality: (Ukraine) is hitting Russian military machine hard.”
Budrys made this statement just hours after a NATO aircraft destroyed a Ukrainian drone above southern Estonia. Ukraine issued an apology for the “unintended incident,” though did not provide details about what occurred.
Latvia’s government fell apart last week following disagreements about managing several incidents involving wandering drones believed to originate from Ukraine. The defense minister was compelled to step down after his political party withdrew support, leading the prime minister to also resign. The ruling coalition had faced pressure for months due to various other disputes.
As aerial attacks have intensified recently, Russia and Ukraine have occasionally launched hundreds of drones daily against each other.
Ukraine’s air force reported Wednesday that it destroyed 131 of 154 drones Russia sent overnight. The unmanned aircraft that penetrated air defenses resulted in three civilian deaths and injured 18 others, including two children, according to officials.
Ukraine maintained its aerial offensive against Russia’s critical oil infrastructure, with military leadership reporting overnight strikes on a significant Russian oil refinery and a pipeline pumping facility.
Russian media also suggested that a chemical facility in the southern Stavropol region was struck and ignited, though local authorities did not verify any direct impact.
The United Kingdom government, which strongly backs Ukraine’s military efforts, has relaxed strict penalties on Russian oil processed into diesel and jet fuel in third countries as fuel costs increase due to the Iran conflict.
The exemption takes effect Wednesday and reflects mounting supply worries about specific fuels caused by the effective closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
This action follows U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement two days earlier that Washington was providing a 30-day extension allowing countries to import Russian oil currently aboard ships at sea, designed to address oil supply shortages.
The decision represents a continuing policy shift by the Trump administration, which had previously indicated that Russian oil sanctions would be reinstated. Initially declared in early March, the temporary suspension of sanctions received its first extension in April.
