What did Lithuania change about its drone rules?
A look back at the Lithuanian parliament's decision on unauthorised drones, and a Ukrainian ratification days earlier.
What changed in Lithuania's rules on drones on 23 September 2025? On that date, 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 had entered the country.
The change widened the military's powers. Until then, only drones judged to be armed, or to pose an imminent threat to critical state assets, could be targeted. After the vote, that distinction no longer limited the armed forces.
The vote belonged to a wider pattern of airspace violations affecting countries that were not combatants in the Russo-Ukrainian war, which has run since 2022.
A Ukrainian ratification days earlier
Six days before, on 17 September 2025, the Verkhovna Rada ratified an agreement on a 100-year partnership with the United Kingdom.
