Lithuania will not be able to protect its airspace from drones 100%, - Lithuanian Army Commander Vaikšnoras
Despite Lithuania strengthening its air defense, its airspace will not be 100% protected from drones.
According to Censor.NET, citing LRT, this was stated by the commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Raimundas Vaikšnoras.
"Like the rest of NATO, like all other countries, we cannot guarantee 100% today. We have to accept this because it will require completely different resources. We are talking about 10 percent for defense or other percentages, if such expectations exist. I would like to soften these expectations a little, because managing expectations is very important," said the Lithuanian general.
According to him, it would be "too bold" to talk about the possibility of controlling the entire sky over the country. This would require "billions and tens of billions." Currently, only the most dangerous routes are being considered.
Mobile systems capable of moving between locations, recognizing low-flying objects, and neutralizing them could be used to protect them.
"This applies only to certain areas, but let's not forget that we still have strategic facilities, so great attention will be paid to protecting important strategic facilities, not just the border," said Vaikšnoras.
According to him, neither Lithuania nor other countries have a single, clear solution for protecting their airspace. As a short-term initiative, NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentinel until countries acquire sufficient means to counter UAVs.
"Many experiments are being conducted. The transformation command has presented several projects, such as "Task Force X" and others. We hope that Lithuania will also arrive with certain prototypes and will be able to select the best products through practice, innovation, and testing," said the commander of the Lithuanian army.
Hybrid warfare by the Russian Federation
In September 2025, Russia significantly intensified its hybrid attacks on European countries, particularly NATO members, using drones and military aircraft to violate their airspace.
On the afternoon of September 7, a Russian helicopter violated Estonia's airspace. The Estonian Defense Forces General Staff reported that a Mi-8 helicopter entered the country's airspace without permission in the vicinity of Vaindloo Island. The helicopter did not have a flight plan, and its transponder was turned off.
On September 10, about 20 Russian drones invaded Polish airspace. Some of them were shot down by NATO fighter jets.
A Russian drone penetrated 10 km into Romanian airspace, remaining there for about 50 minutes. The incident occurred on September 13.
On the night of September 17, the Polish Border Guard recorded increased activity by Belarusian and Russian drones attempting to violate Polish airspace.
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes on September 19.
Twice, on September 23 and 26, Copenhagen Airport suspended operations due to the detection of large drones nearby. The airport is also used as an air base for the Danish Air Force.
In addition, unknown drones were spotted in the evening and at night on September 24-25. A group of drones flew in areas where Danish military facilities are located.
During flights of unknown drones over airports and military facilities in Denmark, a Russian Navy ship was spotted at sea near the country.
On the night of September 25-26, two unidentified drones were spotted over the Karlskrona archipelago in Sweden. The main base of the Swedish Navy is located there.
On September 26, the airspace of Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed twice due to possible UAVs.
On Saturday afternoon, September 27, at Schiphol Airport, the main airport in the Netherlands, the runway was closed for about 45 minutes after a drone was spotted there.
