It responded to Wednesday’s declaration of emergency in Lithuania, where fighter jets were temporarily activated due to the threat of drone penetration and traffic was suspended in the capital city of Vilnius.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that Russia and Belarus “bear direct responsibility” for a series of violations of airspace by drones in countries in the eastern part of the EU. She stated this in connection with the situation when an emergency was declared in Lithuania on Wednesday due to the threat of penetration by unmanned aircraft.
“Russia’s public threats against our Baltic states are completely unacceptable,” von der Leyen wrote on the social network X. “Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drones threatening the lives and safety of people on our eastern flank,” she added.
Europe’s unified response
She said “Europe will respond unitedly and decisively. We will continue to strengthen the security of our eastern flank through strong collective defense and preparedness at all levels.”
According to the Lithuanian army, the reason for the declaration of emergency on Wednesday was an object detected by radar over the territory of Belarus, which showed the characteristics of an unmanned aircraft. Subsequently, the Lithuanian Air Force activated fighters. The authorities described the measures to warn the population as a standard preventive procedure.
The state of emergency was first declared for four districts located near the borders of Lithuania and Belarus, later it was extended to the capital Vilnius and its surroundings. Ground transport and airport operations were stopped in Vilnius. The emergency was canceled after about 15 minutes.
