Ursula von der Leyen
On Wednesday, Vilnius came to a virtual standstill for almost an hour due to drone sightings. Citizens were urged to seek shelter, and the country’s political leaders were taken to a shelter. Vilnius airport was closed, and public transportation was suspended.
Such serious measures were taken for the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Euronews quoted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying that “Russia’s public threats against the Baltic states are absolutely unacceptable. Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for the drone attacks that jeopardize the lives and safety of people on our eastern flank. Europe will respond with unity and strength”.
In turn, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incidents a “coordinated provocation”.
And NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the series of recent drone incidents is a consequence of Russia’s “reckless, illegal, full-scale” invasion of Ukraine.
Some of the drones that flew toward the Baltic were Ukrainian: presumably, they went off course due to electronic countermeasures from outside, or their control was intercepted altogether.
