Romania downs drones; Lithuania shelters over airspace breach

· Security · Romania · Lithuania

Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the country's territorial waters on Saturday, the defence ministry said, while Lithuanians were forced to take shelter after a suspected drone entered their airspace and Poland's military said it was verifying a possible violation by an unidentified object. Lithuania is separately treating an attempted arson attack at a SpaceX Starlink base station as Russia-linked sabotage aimed at undermining Ukraine's military capacity. The incidents underline spillover risks from the Ukraine war along NATO's eastern flank.

Why it matters:Drone incursions into NATO airspace risk escalation and test the alliance's air defence and article 5 credibility.

Key points

  • Romanian F-16s shot down two drones over territorial waters.
  • Lithuanians sheltered after a suspected drone entered airspace.
  • Poland was verifying a possible airspace violation.

Sources (original reporting)

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