Italy's defence minister thanks pilots after drone downed over Lithuania

Italy's defence minister, Guido Crosetto, travelled to Lithuania on Tuesday to thank Italian pilots whose fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight.

Speaking in front of a Eurofighter at Siauliai Air Base, Crosetto said the aircraft stationed in Lithuania had been deployed again roughly a month after a similar action. He said the drone's origin remained uncertain, and described the episode as a demonstration of what membership of NATO means on its Eastern Flank — a region he said has long posed challenges not only for the countries there but for the entire alliance, Italy included.

Crosetto said the Lithuanian government had thanked Italy for its presence, and that he had come to thank the pilots in person. He described the stop as an impromptu addition to a scheduled trip that also took him to Bulgaria, Poland and Latvia, aimed at advancing the idea of a continental European defence community. Security, he said, depends on the collective effort of all European nations rather than the EU's 27 members alone, and peace is achieved through defence collaboration among multiple countries.

Lithuanian military officials said the incident was the first time a drone had been shot down in the country's airspace. Authorities did not comment on the device's origin or purpose, saying further investigation was needed, though two senior officials said it was likely carrying explosives.

Italy's defence ministry described the Lithuanian episode as the second such action within a month. Italian Eurofighters operating from Lithuania had already intercepted and shot down an unidentified drone that entered Latvian airspace in late August.

The downing came a day after NATO's head said strikes close to the alliance's territory would only increase its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia's full-scale invasion. In recent weeks, officials in several NATO countries, including Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Poland, have accused Russia of involvement in drone incursions, sabotage, arson and surveillance of defence facilities, as well as in plans to use a drone carrying explosives to attack an airport.