NATO Jets Scrambled as Drone Alerts Sweep Baltic States

The Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on Wednesday issued a flurry of overnight alerts, which were withdrawn hours later, urging citizens to seek shelter against threats from unidentified drones entering from neighbours Russia or Belarus.

Ukrainian military drones straying into the airspace of Finland and the Baltics have fuelled concern that the Ukraine war is spilling into NATO countries that border Russia and its ally Belarus.

NATO fighter jets were activated overnight, the alerts said, though there were no reports of injuries, while Lithuania’s crisis officials said one of the warnings covered the second most populous city of Kaunas, home to about 300,000 people.

NATO jets activated overnight

Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said four drones had been detected across the region on what had been “a difficult night”.

An attempt was made to shoot down a drone over northern Lithuania, and debris from a NATO missile was later found on the ground, Sinkevicius wrote on Facebook. It was not immediately clear if the drone was hit.

Finland, another Russian neighbour, adopted temporary airspace and maritime curbs in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Wednesday, its defence forces said on X, but also withdrew them later.

“The restrictions were a precautionary measure to ensure the authorities’ ability to operate and the safety of bystanders,” they added.

Ukrainian strikes target Russian facilities

The step came as Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s northwest, home to major Baltic Sea export facilities and a big oil refinery, setting afire the Ust-Luga port area and injuring three.

Drone debris killed two in Russia’s Smolensk region bordering Belarus, Russian newswires cited the local governor as saying.

In Ukraine, an overnight Russian air strike knocked out power in parts of the industrial stronghold of Kryvyi Rih, injured one in the second biggest city of Kharkiv and another six in Zaporizhzhia, officials and emergency services said.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports independently. Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in the war Moscow started by invading its neighbour in February 2022.

Peace talks continue amid fresh attacks

The turmoil comes against the backdrop of a two-day meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi from Tuesday, as the United States makes a new push to end their war.

President Donald Trump has said the war was close to being settled and that ending it might involve all of Europe.

As Ukraine attacks Russian oil shipping ports on the Baltic Sea, some of its drones have missed their targets, prompting security warnings in neighbouring countries and even a government collapse this year in Latvia.

Moscow has accused Kyiv of using NATO airspace as cover for attacks, while Kyiv says Russian signal jamming has sent some of its drones off course. The NATO nations blame Russia for the incidents, saying it ignited the war.