Lithuania plans to close airspace

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Shakalene announced preparations for the temporary closure of parts of the airspace in order to "respond more effectively to incidents involving drones."

At a press conference after a meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Shakalene drew attention to bureaucratic obstacles that prevent the operational closure of airspace when unidentified objects are detected.

"When the NATO air police is tasked with destroying an object, it is difficult to close certain sections of airspace bureaucratically so that they are not accessible to civilian objects. Lightning closure is impossible. This is a complicated bureaucratic procedure," the minister said.

According to the Lithuanian Broadcasting Company, residents saw an object similar to a drone a few days ago. This is the second such incident this month. However, the Lithuanian military did nothing, citing "too great a threat to the civilian population."