Lithuania briefly issued an air alert in parts of the country on May 20 after detecting what authorities said was a suspected drone approaching from Belarus, prompting the activation of Nato’s Baltic air policing mission as regional tensions over repeated airspace incursions mounted.

Lithuania’s defence ministry said that a radar signature with “characteristics typical of drone aircraft” had been detected in Belarus near the Lithuanian border, leading officials to issue warnings in several districts and declare a “Red” alert in Vilnius county, ordering residents to take shelter.

“Lithuania has issued an air alert in parts of the country after a suspected drone approaching from Belarus was detected near the border. Nato Baltic Air Policing has been activated,” the ministry said in a statement posted on social media.

According to local media reports, the drone alert brought the Lithuanian capital to a standstill, with President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė taken to emergency shelters after authorities ordered residents to seek cover.

A later update on the ministry’s Facebook page said the warning had been lifted.

“The danger of air strike in Vilnius county is canceled, the status is WHITE. Residents can continue their normal activities,” it said.

The ministry said the alert was triggered because “in the territory of Belarus, near the Lithuanian border, there is currently a radar marking, which has characteristics typical of drone aircraft”. 

It urged residents to remain calm and report any suspicious object. “If you notice a flying or falling suspicious object, call 112, do not approach the object,” it said.

Flights were suspended and road and rail traffic in and around Vilnius were briefly halted, according to local media. The Lithuanian military later said Nato fighter jets had been scrambled but were unable to locate the object.

Ruginienė said earlier this week she had convened a meeting of the National Security Commission to discuss a drone that crashed in the Utena region on May 18 and the broader security implications.

“Events of recent years show that drones and various incidents of violations of airspace are becoming an increasingly frequent security challenge not only in Lithuania but also in the entire region,” she said in a statement.

“We have to understand the cause of these incidents clearly - it is the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, which has a direct impact on the security situation in the region. As long as Russia continues its aggression, similar risks will remain relevant.”

The latest alert follows a series of recent drone incidents in the Baltic states. On Tuesday, Estonia said a Nato fighter jet shot down a drone over its territory that it suspected was a Ukrainian aircraft knocked off course by Russian electronic interference. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have all reported incursions in recent months as the war in Ukraine spills into the airspace of Nato’s eastern flank.