Lithuania widened its rules on shooting down drones
A look back at the Lithuanian parliament's decision to let the military target any unauthorised drone, and at a Ukrainian ratification a few days earlier.
What changed in Lithuania's airspace rules on 23 September 2025? On that day the country's parliament authorised its military to shoot down any unauthorised drones in Lithuanian airspace.
The decision followed recent incidents in which Russian drones entered the country. Before the vote, only drones judged to be armed, or to pose an imminent threat to critical state assets, could be targeted. The new authorisation removed that restriction.
The move was part of a wider pattern of violations of the airspace of non-combatant countries during the Russo-Ukrainian war.
A Ukrainian step days earlier
A few days before, on 17 September 2025, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, ratified an agreement on a 100-year partnership with the United Kingdom.
