Lithuania activated NATO Baltic Air Policing and issued an air alert across the Vilnius region on the morning of 20 May 2026 after detecting a suspected drone crossing from Belarus, the country's defense ministry said.
It is the third such alert in a Baltic state since 17 May. Latvia warned of an unknown drone over border districts on 17 May, and on 19 May a Romanian fighter jet operating under NATO patrol shot down a stray Ukrainian strike drone over Estonia — the first interception of its kind over Estonian territory.
Vilnius airport closed and trains halted
Airspace over Vilnius airport was closed at 10:00 on 20 May after the alert was issued. Train services in parts of Lithuania were temporarily suspended, and passengers in the Vilnius district and at the city's railway station were directed to shelters.
Drone activity was reported in the eastern Lithuanian districts of Ignalina, Utena, Zarasai, and Švenčionys, all close to the Belarusian border. The warning later expanded to Vilnius and the surrounding region. Residents received public notifications, with an initial yellow air-threat alert escalating to red in the Vilnius district.
NATO scramble after radar signature inside Belarus
NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission was activated after a radar signature was detected on Belarusian territory, the Lithuanian military said. Officials compared the episode to the alerts in Latvia and Estonia earlier in the week.
"This incident is similar to what we observed in recent days in Latvia and Estonia; warning residents is a standard preventive measure," the military said in remarks carried by LRT.
Estonia incident and Kyiv's apology
The Estonia interception on 19 May was the first time a NATO patrol shot down an aircraft over Estonian airspace. The drone was identified as a stray Ukrainian strike UAV.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi apologized to Estonia the same day, writing on X that Russian electronic warfare was redirecting Ukrainian drones into Baltic airspace. "Moscow is doing this deliberately, combining it with intensified propaganda. We apologize to Estonia and all our Baltic friends for such unintentional incidents," Tykhyi wrote.
Tykhyi said Kyiv was working with partner agencies, including Ukrainian expert teams, to establish the facts of each case. He said no Baltic state or Finland had ever allowed its airspace to be used for strikes against Russia. "Moreover, Ukraine has never requested such use," he added. He said Russians "have no right to blame Ukraine, the Baltic states, or Finland for the consequences of their own actions and their own war."
