Lithuania lifted an air alert on Wednesday after suspected drones from Belarus turned back. Authorities had earlier urged residents in the capital Vilnius to take shelter and temporarily closed the airport. The incident came just a day after NATO shot down a suspected stray Ukrainian drone over Estonia.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed the changed security situation in Europe during a meeting in Sweden. Sweden joined the alliance in 2024. “That says a lot about how fundamentally our security environment has changed, especially in Europe,” Rutte said. “It is more dangerous, it is more contested, and that makes it all the more important that NATO allies work together to protect our freedom and security.”
The recent incidents highlight the tense situation along NATO’s eastern flank. Lithuania and Estonia border Belarus, a close ally of Russia, as well as the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The Baltic states have stepped up their airspace surveillance since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Source: www.theguardian.com
