Moscow: NATO Needs to Calm Lithuania Down After Threats to Attack Russia

NATO confirmed that Romanian F-16 fighter jets participating in the Baltic air policing mission intercepted and shot down a drone in Estonian airspace, Reuters reports.

The alliance stated that Romanian aircraft operating from Lithuania under NATO's Baltic Air Policing program carried out the interception.

NATO officials added that an investigation into the drone incident is currently underway.

Baltic Airspace Security Concerns Continue Growing

The interception marks another escalation in regional airspace security tensions across the Baltic states.

Recent weeks have seen multiple reports involving unidentified drones near NATO borders, prompting heightened military readiness and air patrol activity.

Earlier, Estonian authorities reported that a drone had violated the country's airspace before NATO aircraft responded to the situation.

Russian Senator Warns NATO Over Kaliningrad Statements

At the same time, Russian officials sharply criticized recent comments from Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, who urged NATO to demonstrate its ability to overcome Russian defenses in Kaliningrad.

Russian Senator Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov warned NATO against what he described as provocations from Lithuania.

"Our president already said that an attack on Kaliningrad would lead to unprecedented escalation,” the senator said, according to RIA Novosti. "Paris, London, and Washington would all feel the consequences.”

He called on NATO leadership to restrain what he described as Lithuanian provocateurs and avoid testing Russia's warnings.

Latvia Denies Claims About Ukrainian Drone Operations

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže also rejected accusations from Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service claiming Latvia could allow Ukrainian forces to launch attacks against Russia from its territory.

"Latvia does not provide its airspace for attacks on Russia. This has been explained to Russian representatives many times,” Braže wrote on social media platform X.

Earlier on May 19, Russia's SVR intelligence service claimed Ukrainian drone units had already arrived in Latvia and were stationed at several military bases.

The agency warned that NATO membership would not shield countries supporting attacks against Russia.