NATO jets scramble over Vilnius as suspected drone from Belarus triggers airport closure and shelter warning

From the Newshound archive · first published 3 October 2026 · last updated 4 October 2026.

Lithuanian authorities scrambled NATO Baltic Air Policing jets and shut Vilnius Airport after a suspected drone was detected crossing into the country from Belarus on Saturday morning, triggering a public alert urging residents to find shelter. The closure lasted less than an hour before officials cancelled the alert, saying the object had moved out of their observation zone. A search for the unidentified object was launched, with authorities still working to determine its nature.

Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas admitted the object could have been birds, noting its speed was 'slightly lower than usual.'

The airport reopened after roughly 40 minutes, but Vitkauskas said if the object was a drone and had fallen, it would need to be found.