Belarusian Drone Breaches Lithuanian Airspace, Spotted Over Vilnius

A drone believed to have originated from Belarus entered Lithuanian airspace early this morning and was spotted flying low—around 200 meters—above the capital city, Vilnius. Local residents reported the sighting to authorities, prompting police to issue an emergency cellphone alert, warning civilians not to approach the drone.

This marks the second airspace violation in a month. On July 10, Lithuanian officials confirmed the presence of a Russian-made Gerbera drone, a platform typically used to overload air defense systems, within the country’s skies.

Authorities are now investigating the latest incident, which comes amid rising tensions between NATO members and Belarus, a close ally of Russia. Lithuanian defense officials have raised alarms about increasing hybrid threats, including drone reconnaissance, cyber operations, and disinformation campaigns.

Vilnius has not yet released official confirmation of the drone’s exact model or purpose, but military analysts warn that repeated incursions could indicate a pattern of probing missions by Belarus or Russia aimed at testing Baltic airspace security.

The incident is likely to feature prominently in upcoming NATO regional defense consultations, as member states assess the evolving nature of unconventional threats on Europe’s eastern flank.