NATO and Russian tensions over Baltic airspace
An Italian fighter jet flying under NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a suspected Russian drone carrying an explosive device after it entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on September 15, coming down near the village of Pratkunai roughly 90 km northwest of Vilnius. Lithuanian officials said it was the first time a drone had been downed in the country's airspace and called the intercept proof of NATO solidarity; the incident followed a separate episode in which Russia fired flares at a Danish military helicopter monitoring a Russian frigate in the Baltic Sea, prompting Denmark to summon Russia's ambassador. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the incidents as part of a 'broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe,' while Poland's defense minister warned that recent events show Russian actions threaten security across the continent.
As it ran
22 September 2026
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