\n<\/p>\n
Nato said that as of December last year it had more than 5,000 troops in Lithuania, but says now that it is unable to give a precise figure for the numbers stationed there.<\/p>\n
Germany – a fellow Nato ally – has pledged to send a 5,000-strong combat-ready brigade to Lithuania permanently as a response to the changing security situation in Europe. However, Nato said on Tuesday it would reach “full operational capability” by the end of 2027.<\/p>\n
The Germany military has failed to recruit enough personnel voluntarily and is now turning to compulsory assignments to fill some positions.<\/p>\n
The majority of troops will be based in R\u016bdninkai, near the Suwa\u0142ki Gap – a line that borders Lithuania and Poland and also links Belarus with Russia’s Kaliningrad.<\/p>\n
The origins of last week’s drone incident over Lithuania have not been confirmed, however Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told Newshour that it had come from the direction of Belarus.<\/p>\n
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Thanks to the swift and professional actions of Lithuanian and Italian forces, Nato once again demonstrated our readiness to protect our airspace.<\/p>\n
“We stand united, around the clock, in defence of every inch of Nato territory.”<\/p>\n
Moscow did not comment on the incident.<\/p>\n
Military drone incursions have become increasingly common across Europe since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale of invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Residents in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius were also forced to take shelter in May after a drone alert was triggered, briefly grounding flights and rail travel.<\/p>\n
Nato jets have scrambled multiple times to shoot down stray Ukrainian drones that have crossed into fellow Baltic countries <\/b>Estonia and Latvia this year.<\/p>\n
Ukraine has blamed the stray drones on Russian electronic warfare, technology designed to change the flight paths of Ukrainian drones.<\/p>\n
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia all joined Nato in 2004, becoming signatories to the Article 5 provision that states “an armed attack against one Nato member shall be considered an attack against all members”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n