NATO fighter jets were activated on Thursday (21 May) after at least one drone entered Latvian airspace, according to Latvia’s armed forces, marking the latest in a series of security incidents across the Baltic region linked to the war in Ukraine.
Lithuania on Wednesday issued an “air danger” warning urging residents to seek shelter and temporarily suspended operations at the capital’s airport amid fears that drones had entered the country’s airspace, as tensions between Russia and the Baltic states continue to escalate.
Finland said that suspected drone activity in the skies above the country's capital region on Friday no longer posed a threat and that the situation was returning to normal as Helsinki's airport reopened.
Lithuania’s Prime Minister’s visit to Azerbaijan on 9 April signals a deepening strategic dialogue between Baku and European partners. Analysts say economic interests and geopolitical shifts are driving closer engagement.
Lithuanian prosecutors have charged six foreign nationals with terrorism over an alleged plot to attack a private military supplier providing aid to Ukraine.
Lithuania on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to threats to public safety from smuggled balloons originating in Belarus, the government said.
Vilnius Airport in Lithuania suspended operations again on Wednesday after suspected balloons were spotted in its airspace, marking the latest in a series of similar incidents near the Belarus border.
Lithuania’s Vilnius airport temporarily halted operations due to suspected balloons in its airspace, the airport said on Sunday, marking the latest in a series of flight disruptions in the Baltic nation.
A passenger aircraft from Polish carrier LOT veered off a taxiway at Lithuania's Vilnius airport after arriving from Warsaw on Wednesday, halting all traffic, the airport operator said.
Vilnius airport briefly halted night-time operations after balloons drifted towards its airspace late on Sunday, forcing several flights to divert. The airport announced on its website that it planned to reopen at 01.30 am local time.
Lithuania’s Vilnius airport was temporarily closed on Thursday after smugglers’ balloons appeared on radar, the National Crisis Management Centre said.
Lithuania will keep its border crossings with Belarus closed for a month after balloons carrying cigarettes repeatedly disrupted air traffic at Vilnius Airport. Some exemptions will apply.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday voiced strong support for Lithuania, condemning the repeated incursions of helium-filled smuggling balloons from Belarus as a deliberate provocation.
NATO member Lithuania has closed its two largest airports and shut border crossings with Belarus after helium weather balloons entered its airspace, marking the third such incident this month. European aviation has been disrupted recently by drone sightings and other air incursions
Poland has banned pro-Russian Moldovan politician Irina Vlah from its territory for five years, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing her of helping Moscow interfere in Moldova's parliamentary elections.
Türkiye has deployed an airborne warning and control aircraft to Lithuania this week as part of NATO security measures, after a series of Russian drone and jet incursions into allied airspace.
Lithuania’s parliament on Thursday approved the government programme put forward by Social Democrat Inga Ruginienė, confirming her as the Baltic nation’s new prime minister.
A Spanish military jet with Defence Minister Margarita Robles onboard experienced a GPS disturbance early on Wednesday as it flew near Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on its way to Lithuania, the ministry said, without providing further details.
Lithuania is teaching children how to operate drones along its border with Russia, part of efforts to bolster awareness and skills on the NATO 'Eastern flank'.
The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved a new prime minister, marking a key step in the formation of the country’s ruling coalition.
Lithuania has called on NATO to bolster its air defences following Russian drones from Belarus violating its airspace, one of which allegedly carried explosives, according to authorities. Vilnius says defending NATO’s eastern flank should be a shared responsibility.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to NATO as he hosted defense ministers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, praising their strong defense spending and united stance on Ukraine.
Belarus has temporarily shut down one of its two nuclear power units due to a cooling system alert, but authorities insist there is no safety threat.
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