Lithuania’s airspace was recently invaded by drones coming from Belarus, creating a sense of urgency to reinforce the defense of NATO member countries. With this growing threat, the Lithuanian government emphasizes that protecting this region must be a joint effort among allied countries, especially given the instability on the border with Russia and its allies. The country’s plan is to rely on NATO’s help and support for this air protection. What can we expect from this conflict scenario? Read more about it and discover everything.
Lithuania seeks NATO assistance for air defense
Lithuania’s foreign ministry has written to the NATO military alliance asking it to strengthen its air defences, it said on Tuesday, after two military drones crossed into its territory from Belarus in less than a month. “This must not be only Lithuania’s responsibility, because we are defending the eastern NATO flank,” Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told reporters.
NATO and European Union member Lithuania borders Russia and Moscow’s ally, Belarus. The letter from Lithuania’s foreign and defence ministers to NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte said the alliance must show it is ready to defend “every centimetre of its territory”. In the most recent incident, a drone crossed into Lithuania on July 28, which Lithuania suspects was directed by Russia at Ukraine, but that it was disoriented by Ukraine’s defences, Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on Tuesday.
The drone was found crashed in a military training area about 100 kilometres (62.14 miles) from the border with Belarus and contained 2 kg (4 lb) of explosives, the chief of staff of the Lithuanian army, Dainius Paskevicius, told reporters. Sakaliene had earlier identified the object as a Gerbera drone, a wooden copy of an Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drone, which the Russian military is known to use.
Tensions escalate after second drone attack
The second drone strike indeed had an immediate political impact. It didn’t pose a concrete threat, but the incident put the country on alert and destabilized it, highlighting its vulnerability to threats that are difficult to detect and neutralize. Now, they’re demanding a response from NATO to prevent this from becoming a new form of intimidation on the bloc’s borders.
Another Gerbera drone entered Lithuania from Belarus on July 10, causing alarm before authorities determined it was not dangerous. Then-prime minister Gintautas Paluckas and Speaker of Parliament Saulius Skvernelis were briefly taken to bomb shelters in response to the drone entering Lithuanian airspace, according to their spokespersons. NATO was not immediately available for comment.
Lithuania awaits concrete actions
For Lithuania, this moment requires more than declarations of support; the country wants to implement concrete, strategic measures. And only an operational air defense system on the ground can provide the country with this security, preventing future violations. One of the strategies being considered is the installation of anti-aircraft batteries and high-precision radars, which could protect the country and serve as a deterrent to Russian provocations in the border region, where there is a climate of instability.
NATO may be the key to resolving the conflict
The tension on the borders of NATO’s eastern countries is growing increasingly tense, and Lithuania’s urgency with this alliance is to demonstrate, in practice, its commitment to the collective security of vulnerable countries.
After this subsequent drone attack, a Lithuanian response could become a significant turning point in the rapid strategy against hybrid threats, defining a new level of importance for situations like this. For Vilnius, this aerial reinforcement has become something that goes beyond mere air defense; it is confirmation that Article 5 of the treaty between NATO member states remains alive and well.
GCN.com/Reuters