Lithuania explains why drone entering its airspace was not shot down

Lithuania's defense minister said a drone that entered the country's airspace on Sunday morning was not shot down due to adverse weather conditions that prevented its visual identification. Minister of Defense Robertas Kaunas stated that shooting down the suspected drone was impossible because it could not be visually identified, which is mandatory in peacetime. He noted that fighter pilots could not determine what was flying or the threat level due to weather conditions, and observation is ongoing. Kaunas suggested that military action protocols may be reviewed to avoid similar situations in the future. Latvia and Lithuania declared air alerts on Sunday morning over the unknown object, with allied military aircraft deployed, and drone debris was later found in the village of Juodonis, Pasvalys district.