NATO jets scramble as drone crashes in Lithuania after alerting Latvia

A drone triggered air alerts in Lithuania and Latvia during a Ukrainian nighttime attack on St. Petersburg, prompting NATO fighter jets to scramble before the aircraft crashed near Pasvalys in northern Lithuania, close to the Latvian border. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported the drone likely entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland to the south. Military police found drone fragments in Juodžionys after an explosion was heard. Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said radars detected the object at 3:00 GMT, but poor weather prevented visual contact. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said sabotage must be considered and convened a National Security Commission meeting for Monday. Mobile alerts urged residents to take shelter, and were lifted after 5:00 GMT. This was the first serious incident since NATO jets downed a stray Russian drone over Lithuania on September 15.