Lithuania asks NATO for air defence support after Russian drone incursions

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about "the recent drone incidents", Report informs via Euronews.

Lithuania has asked NATO to help bolster its air defences after revealing that two Russian military drones flew into its territory from Belarus last month.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Wednesday that he had spoken with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss "regional security and the recent drone incidents in Lithuania".

The pair "agreed on the need of immediate steps to strengthen air defence capabilities along NATO's frontlines," Budrys wrote in a post on X.

Earlier this week, Lithuania said that a drone had crossed into the country on July 28.

Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that the drone was likely directed by Russia towards Kyiv but became disorientated by Ukraine's defences and unintentionally entered Lithuanian territory.

The drone, which was found in a military training area days later, was carrying explosives, according to the country's Prosecutor-General Nida Grunskiene.

Authorities identified it as a Russian Gerbera drone, a type usually used as a decoy in Moscow's strikes against Ukraine, according to local media reports.

Separately, the Lithuanian foreign ministry said earlier this month that it had demanded an explanation from Minsk over the "unlawful entry of a Russian-made Gerbera multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on July 10."

NATO and EU member Lithuania borders Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and Moscow-allied Belarus.