Suspected Drone Explodes Over Northern Lithuania. Nausėda Says War Is Spreading To NATO’s Eastern Flank

Reform.news Editorial Team · 18 October 2026, 14:16

https://reform.news/en/suspected-drone-explodes-over-northern-lithuania-nauseda-says-war-is-spreading-to-nato-s-eastern-flank/

On the morning of October 18, an unidentified object, believed to be a drone, entered Lithuanian airspace and subsequently exploded over the northern part of the country. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda reported this. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius called for the possibility of sabotage to be investigated.

After the object appeared, NATO fighter jets stationed at the air base in Šiauliai were scrambled. According to Nausėda, the explosion posed a danger to civilians. Specialists are working at the scene.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is spilling over onto the Eastern flank of NATO and EU,” the Lithuanian president wrote on the social network X.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said that the possibility of sabotage must be seriously investigated as part of the inquiry into the incident.

On Monday, October 19, the prime minister plans to convene a meeting of the National Security Commission. Authorities will seek to establish where the drone came from and where it was first detected by radar. According to the prime minister, the results of the debris examination will be important. The authorities will also discuss granting security services additional powers to neutralize drones.

On the morning of October 18, a red-level air threat alert was declared in the Panevėžys and Šiauliai counties. Residents were advised to seek shelter. The alert was later lifted.

According to preliminary information from the Lithuanian military, the suspected drone may have entered the country from Poland. Debris was found in the village of Juodžionys in Pasvalys District. The origin of the aircraft and the circumstances surrounding its appearance are being established.

Earlier, Poland deployed military aircraft in its airspace in response to Russian drone strikes targeting locations in western Ukraine. Ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems were placed on alert.

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces stressed that the measures were preventive and aimed at protecting Polish airspace, particularly in areas adjacent to territories under threat.