NATO scrambles Italian jets after drone blast in Lithuania

Two Italian Eurofighter jets scrambled from Siauliai air base under NATO command after a suspected drone exploded in northern Lithuania, prompting Vilnius to initially accuse Russia of hybrid attacks. Kyiv later said the drone was Ukrainian and may have been diverted by Russian electronic warfare. The incident highlights heightened alert across Baltic capitals and NATO, which confirmed the Italian jets' intervention and vowed to respond to any threat around the clock. It follows two drones entering Romanian airspace on Saturday and rising tension at Leipzig airport, where an explosive drone was found in August. Separately, cross-border strikes on energy infrastructure killed civilians on both sides, with a Ukrainian raid causing a major fire at a St. Petersburg oil plant. US President Donald Trump accused Zelensky of targeting Russian diesel refineries and lacking interest in ending the war, while Zelensky announced he would seek re-election and said US intelligence sharing had resumed.