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.
Lithuania's foreign and defence ministries have formally requested NATO’s assistance in strengthening the country’s air defences in a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“This must not be only Lithuania's responsibility, because we are defending the eastern NATO flank,” said Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys on Tuesday. Lithuania, a NATO and European Union member, shares borders with both Russia and Belarus.
In one incident, a Gerbera drone — identified as a wooden replica of the Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drone — entered Lithuanian territory on 28 July and crashed in a military training zone roughly 100 km from the Belarusian border according to Lithuanian army officials who said the drone carried 2 kg of explosives.
Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that the drone may have originally been directed toward Ukraine but was diverted by Ukrainian air defences.
A separate drone incident on 10 July prompted brief emergency evacuations of top Lithuanian officials, including then-Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and Speaker of Parliament Saulius Skvernelis. Authorities later deemed the drone non-threatening.
NATO responded by confirming it is monitoring the situation and noted that Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Gregory M. Grynkewich has the authority to take necessary defensive measures.
The alliance also highlighted ongoing efforts by member states to enhance detection and counter-drone capabilities.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Ankara, at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks took place on the sidelines of the international Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (12 December).
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
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Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to a deadly attack on a joint U.S.–Syrian convoy in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
The head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6, has warned that Russia "remains an aggressive and expansionist threat", vowing sustained support for Ukraine and calling for greater use of technology to protect UK security.
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