(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) NATO jet shoots down suspected Russian drone over Lithuania | NATO News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/15/nato-jet-shoots-down-suspected-russian-drone-over-lithuania)                                               (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/15/nato-jet-shoots-down-suspected-russian-drone-over-lithuania)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2018-06-06T133139Z_447411981_RC15C9ECF920_RTRMADP_3_NATO-RUSSIA-EXERCISE-1789006576.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2018-06-06T133139Z_447411981_RC15C9ECF920_RTRMADP_3_NATO-RUSSIA-EXERCISE-1789006576.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (nato-jet-shoots-down-suspected-russian-drone-over-lithuania@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/ukraine-russia-crisis/) Russia-Ukraine war    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/5/30/is-the-war-in-ukraine-entering-a-new-phase-2) Is the war entering a new phase?   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Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share NATO jet shoots down suspected Russian drone over Lithuania on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Foua07g) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=NATO%20jet%20shoots%20down%20suspected%20Russian%20drone%20over%20Lithuania&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Foua07g) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Foua07g) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/oua07g)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt aircrafts fly during the U.S. led Saber Strike exercise in the air over Latvia June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins)   NATO has pledged more support for Ukraine as European leaders warn that Russia's war is expanding [File: Ints Kalnins/Reuters]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458) Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters   Published On 15 Sep 2026 15 Sep 2026    An Italian fighter jet flying for NATO has brought down what officials said was a suspected Russian drone in Lithuanian airspace. According to Lithuania’s national crisis management centre, the drone entered the country’s airspace on Tuesday from Belarus and was shot down near the small settlement of Pratkunai in central Lithuania, just north of the country’s second-largest city, Kaunas. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/15/russia-warns-denmark-after-near-miss-in-baltic-sea) Russia warns Denmark after near miss in Baltic Sea  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/13/ukraine-drone-strikes-kill-four-as-russia-attacks-close-to-poland-border) Ukraine drone strikes kill four as Russia attacks close to Poland border  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/14/nato-pledges-increased-support-for-ukraine-after-russia-strikes-warsaw-bound-train) NATO pledges more Ukraine support after Russia strikes near Poland   end of list  Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on social media the drone was carrying an explosive. Debris from the device was being examined to determine if it was from Russia or another country. The intervention by the Italian fighter jet demonstrated “the value of the Atlantic alliance” and “what it means to be an ally”, Kaunas said after meeting crews who were at the scene. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the incident part of a pattern of “aggression and provocation” against Europe. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul laid the blame on Russia, saying that NATO members would not be intimidated. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the incident. Wider conflict The drone was intercepted over Lithuania after Russia (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/15/russia-warns-denmark-after-near-miss-in-baltic-sea) fired flares at a Danish military helicopter monitoring a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea on Monday. In a post on X on Tuesday, Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, that “recent days show that Russia’s actions threaten the security of the entire Europe”. The escalations followed a series of Russian drone strikes on Sunday, prompting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/14/nato-pledges-increased-support-for-ukraine-after-russia-strikes-warsaw-bound-train) pledge more support for Ukraine. Russian drones hit a train (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/13/ukraine-drone-strikes-kill-four-as-russia-attacks-close-to-poland-border) close to the Polish border, minutes after a delegation of current and former officials from the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe passed through the station. Advertisement    At a press conference, Kaunas warned that the Russia-Ukraine war has spread and that incidents would continue unless there was a negotiated settlement, but maintained that “Putin does not want” a peaceful settlement.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network