Lithuania’s parliament is being urged to determine whether Russian drones crossed into the country’s airspace on 10 September, the same night Poland recorded multiple incursions.
Opposition lawmaker Saulius Skvernelis said the Seimas National Security and Defence Committee (NSGK) should look into the episode “as soon as possible”. He alleged that the Ministry of National Defence may be restricting what the armed forces can disclose.
The claim follows a report by Germany’s Bild that “two unidentified flying objects” entered Lithuanian airspace at around 10:00 on 10 September. Lithuanian outlets relayed that account while noting the report was based on NATO sources. In response, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said NATO air-policing jets did scramble over Lithuania that morning, but “no targets” were detected on onboard radars or visually and the tasking was cancelled. Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told reporters that, after checks, “no objects were recorded” in Lithuanian airspace that day.
Skvernelis, a former prime minister and now leader of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party, argued that any suppression of information would be unacceptable and called for parliamentary scrutiny. His remarks were framed against a week of heightened tension on NATO’s eastern flank. Lithuanian media attributed his allegation to concerns that the ministry was “dosing” public information; the minister has not publicly acknowledged any withholding of facts.
The scrutiny bid comes after Poland reported that, during Russia’s overnight strike on Ukraine on 9–10 September, at least 19 drones crossed into Polish airspace—several of which were shot down by Polish and allied aircraft. Polish authorities later said debris had been recovered across a wide area, with fragments found in 17 localities spanning five voivodeships, most of them in Lublin. Warsaw also took precautionary steps on 13 September, scrambling jets and temporarily closing Lublin Airport amid further threats from across the border.
NATO has since announced Eastern Sentry, a new operation to reinforce air, sea and land defences along the Alliance’s eastern flank. Secretary General Mark Rutte said the activity follows the Polish airspace violations and aims to strengthen the Alliance’s posture from the Baltics to the Black Sea. Allied capitals, including Paris, Copenhagen, Berlin and London, have pledged aircraft and other assets; NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus G. Grynkewich, said the focus is on adaptive deployments rather than fixed numbers.
Vilnius has faced several drone-related alerts this summer. In August, Lithuania tightened restrictions near the Belarus border after earlier incidents involving Russian-made “Gerbera” drones that crossed from Belarusian territory and crashed on Lithuanian soil. Authorities have pressed NATO for additional air-defence support and pursued upgrades to detection systems to cope with low, slow UAVs that are difficult to track.
Minister Šakalienė has maintained that Lithuania “did not record” a breach on 10 September, pointing to the scramble-and-clear response earlier that day. Her office has emphasised that NATO and Lithuanian forces continue routine air policing and would act on verified incursions.
Eastern Sentry Looks Reactive as Russian Drones Test NATO’s Eastern Flank
