Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleLithuania opens drone schools near Russia to boost military readiness. The initiative focuses on youth training as part of NATO's regional security efforts.
By Janis Laizans
TAURAGE, Lithuania (Reuters) -On the border with Russia, Lithuania's Defence Ministry has launched the first of what will be nine schools around the country teaching children as young as 10 and adults how to fly, assemble, and programme drones.
"It's all about building military defensive capabilities, which Lithuania is taking very seriously, living in the neighbourhood with Russia and Belarus", said Deputy Defence Minister Tomas Godliauskas.
Children and others will be taught to operate First Person View (FPV), quadcopter and single-wing drones, said teacher Mindaugas Tamosaitis.
At the school in Taurage, 20 km from Russia's Kaliningrad enclave, children practised virtual flights on computers. A boy at the training range was practising flying a mini drone up and down, supervised by the teachers and sometimes crashing it on the floor.
The kids are enthusiastic, said their teacher.
NATO member Lithuania asked the alliance to strengthen its air defence after two Russian drones crashed there after crossing from Belarus this summer.
NATO last Friday announced plans to beef up the defence of Europe's eastern flank, two days after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace, in the first known action of its kind by a member of the Western alliance during Russia's war in Ukraine.
(Writing by Andrius Sytas; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Military preparedness refers to the ability of a nation's armed forces to respond effectively to threats and ensure national security through training, equipment, and strategic planning.
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance of countries from North America and Europe that aims to ensure collective defense and security among its member states.
Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be remotely controlled or fly autonomously, often used for surveillance, delivery, or military purposes.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
