Lithuania has confirmed that what was initially thought to be a drone sighting in its airspace on Sunday, leading to the closure of Vilnius airport and the scrambling of a NATO fighter jet, turned out to be a group of birds.
The National Crisis Management Centre of Lithuania stated that the air alert was lifted and the airport was reopened after 38 minutes once the NATO jet visually identified the birds. The Centre explained that the radar readings at first seemed similar for both birds and drones.
A fighter jet was dispatched from Siauliai in northern Lithuania, where the Italian air force is stationed as part of the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission. Concerns have been raised about military drones crossing into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, amid fears that the conflict in Ukraine may be spilling over into the northern borders of NATO with Russia.
Despite the airspace incident, the Vilnius marathon, happening in the capital, continued without interruption according to organizers. In a separate incident in August, an employee at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany discovered a drone with an unidentified explosive device in the cargo operations zone.
NATO remains vigilant against airspace threats in eastern Europe as suspicious drone activities persist, causing disruptions at airports. CBC’s Briar Stewart explores the Operation Eastern Sentry mission and its surveillance efforts to detect potential threats in the skies.
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