‘Europe will respond’ to repeated Russian drone incidents, von der Leyen vows

Published on 20/05/2026 - 14:47 GMT+2

Lithuania’s superior of Vilnius was shutdown connected Wednesday owed to reports of a imaginable drone incursion, highlighting increasing anxiousness on NATO’s eastbound flank amid Russia's warfare with Ukraine.

Since the commencement of the month, determination has been six reported oregon suspected drone incursions person occurred successful Baltic and Finnish airspace since the opening of the month, sending shivers up the spine of European countries adjacent Russia’s borderline – arsenic good arsenic their allies.

Wednesday’s informing successful Vilnius lasted for astir 1 hour, but prompted the closure of the country’s airport, the evacuation of Lithuanian parliament and President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, who were taken to shelters.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said successful a connection posted onto societal media level X pursuing the incidental that “Russia’s nationalist threats against our Baltic States are wholly unacceptable.”

“Russia and Belarus carnivore nonstop work for drones endangering the lives and information of radical connected our Eastern flank. Europe volition respond with unity and strength.”

The comments were a effect to a missive circulated connected Wednesday by 15 Baltic Members of the European Parliament (MEP) who urged the President of the European Commission to condemn Russia’s actions.

"Russia's continuous open, unsafe and threatening provocations against the Baltic states" person "reached a captious point", the missive reads, adding that the Baltic MEPs request Russia halt these actions "immediately".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated connected Wednesday from Warsaw that these incidents are a “coordinated provocation” and “we can’t unreal that thing is happening.”

Roughly 20 drones entered Polish airspace past September successful an incidental Tusk labelled astatine the clip arsenic a “direct threat” portion placing the blasted squarely connected Russian President Vladimir Putin.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the caller spate of drone incidents are the effect of Russia’s “reckless, illegal, full-scale” penetration of Ukraine from 2022 – portion praising the efforts of the alliance’s combatant jets that responded promptly.

“This is precisely what we planned for," Rutte said.

Some of the drones are Ukrainian successful root but are believed to person been diverted by Russia implicit Baltic airspace to sow havoc.

The European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius said connected Tuesday, pursuing a drone incidental successful Latvia, that Russia is investigating caller “forms” of unit connected the Eastern Flank countries – with the extremity of “frightening radical of the region”.

“Our answer: further summation of nationalist defence spending; further summation of nationalist defence spending; further summation of EU enactment to the Eastern Flank; stronger enactment to Ukraine truthful that Ukraine prevails,” helium wrote connected X.