Defence: Drone shot down in Lithuania by two Italian Eurofighter F-2000s. The rules of engagement for the mission on the eastern flank
The air policing mission in the Baltic States, known as Baltic Air Policing, began in April 2004. To date, 17 allies have taken part in safeguarding the airspace of the Baltic Republics: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Key points
First, the Danish helicopter was narrowly missed by a rocket, then the train was hit on the border between Ukraine and Poland. Finally, a third piece of the puzzle. Late on the evening of Monday 14 September, two Eurofighter F-2000 fighter jets from the Air Task Force Baltic Thunder III of the Italian Air Force took off on a scramble (emergency take-off) from the Šiauliai base as part of the NATO air defence mission on the Alliance’s eastern flank, following a violation of Lithuanian airspace by a drone. The Italian crews intercepted the unmanned aircraft, neutralising it in accordance with the Alliance’s operational procedures. The Ministry of Defence reported the news, specifying that this was the second such incident involving our fighter jets within the space of a month.
Three moves that outline Russia’s current strategy, which is to subject Europe and the North Atlantic Alliance – both of which are committed to supporting Ukraine – to a sort of ‘stress test’. The situation is summed up perfectly in the words of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. “Moscow is putting us to the test, but our resolve is growing stronger,” she said.
Drone suspected to be of Russian origin
On 14 and 15 September, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto visited Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia for a series of institutional meetings and to greet the Italian contingents deployed on the Eastern Flank. According to NATO sources, who have launched an investigation, the drone is suspected to be of Russian origin, but confirmation is awaited from the investigations by the Lithuanian authorities and NATO. Crosetto has corroborated this hypothesis: during a media briefing as part of the bilateral meeting held on Tuesday 15 September in Lithuania with his counterpart Robertas Kaunas, he explained that it is ‘likely’ that the downed drone was Russian. ‘Italia,’ added Crosetto, ‘has now been engaged in NATO operations on the eastern flank for over 10 years, with ground troops, the Navy and, in this country, a significant commitment from the Italian Air Force. Just last night, as was the case a month ago, Italian pilots intervened and shot down a threat likely originating from Russia. The presence of Italian aircraft here is clear proof of the value we place on the Atlantic Alliance and what the word ‘Allies’ means to us.”
According to the head of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVK), speaking on Lithuanian national radio LRT, the drone shot down in the Kaisiadorys district, near the village of Pratkunai, ‘most likely’ originated from neighbouring Belarus, an ally of Russia, and was heading west. “We will not rush to conclusions; an investigation will be carried out and all the circumstances will be assessed,” the army stated. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Kestutis Budrys, announced that Vilnius would send a diplomatic note to Belarus to protest against the incident and would consult with its allies. “Once the investigation is complete and it has been established who the drone belongs to, we will take action accordingly,” said Budrys, stressing that “NATO’s eastern flank must be strengthened and its resilience increased”.
As reported by The Guardian, Kaunas explained that an explosive device was attached to the downed drone. During the search of the crash site, “an explosive device was found, which was subsequently defused by bomb disposal experts”, said the Lithuanian minister.
