Lithuania shuts airport, issues 'air danger' warning amid fear of drones
Lithuania Issues Emergency Warning and Suspends Airport Operations
By Andrius Sytas
Immediate Actions and Public Alerts
VILNIUS, May 20 (Reuters) - Lithuania on Wednesday issued an "air danger" warning asking people to take shelter and suspended traffic at the capital's airport amid fears of drones violating the country's airspace.
Army Instructions to Civilians
"Immediately take shelter in a safe place, take care of your close ones, await new recommendations," Lithuania's army said in a message sent to people in the country's capital.
Distribution of the Warning
It was not immediately clear how widely the statement was distributed.
Parliament Building Response
A warning was also issued in the Vilnius parliament building.
"Due to the risk of air attack, we ask all persons in the building to go to the nearest shelter," said an announcement on parliament's intercom.
Background and Regional Security Concerns
Drone Sighting and Crisis Response
Lithuania's national crisis management centre earlier said it had issued an alert in response to a drone in neighbouring Belarus that was seen flying towards Lithuania, adding the drone's origin had not been confirmed.
Recent Airspace Violations in the Region
A NATO fighter jet on Tuesday shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia, the Baltic country said, the latest in a series of airspace violations in the region amid frequent Ukrainian attacks on neighbouring Russia.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
