Explosive device found on drone shot down in Lithuania, says minister – Europe live

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen condemned “reckless and dangerous Russian behaviour.”

She said the events in Denmark and Lithuania were “not isolated incidents,” but “part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe, testing our readiness and our resolve.”

“Russia will find our resolve only growing stronger. We are reinforcing our collective deterrence and defence, together with Nato. And we are stepping up the pressure on Russia,” she said.

Italy ⁠has decided to extend for another ⁠15 ⁠days the ​suspension of the European ⁠Union’s Schengenborder-free arrangement with Spain, Reuters reports Rome’s ⁠interior ministry said on ​Tuesday.

The Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto has said that the drone shot down by an Italian Nato fighter over Lithuania “most probably” came from Russia.

The downed drone fell in a rural area near Lake Kaunas, in the centre of the country. Lithuania’s defence minister, Kęstutis Budrys, said Nato allies had been informed about the incident and discussions were under way. A presidential security adviser, Deividas Matulionis, said the drone may have strayed off course.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – all of which are Nato members and share a border with Russia – have regularly reported drone incursions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A Nato fighter shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia in May.

German chancellor Friedrich ⁠Merz said on Tuesday there was no ⁠viable parliamentary ⁠majority ​in Germany outside his coalition with ⁠the Social Democrats (SPD).

Dismissing the prospect of a minority ​government, Reuters reports Merz said “I ‌was elected for four years and want to use this time to solve problems,” adding that he hoped to ⁠agree on further ​reforms ‌with the ‌SPD after upcoming state elections ⁠in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

After the AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt, observers are closely watching those elections for more signs of faltering public support in Merz’s policies.

A Ukrainian army unit has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces near Lyman, an embattled town in Ukraine’s east, AFP reports the unit’s commander said Tuesday.

The area has been the site of intense battles throughout the four-and-a-half-year war.

“The 3rd Army Corps has launched an offensive operation called Vivaldi in this sector,” the commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, Andriy Biletsky, said in a video on Telegram.

It was reported that Ukrainian troops had made a small pocket of gains north of the town, whose capture could pave the way for Moscow’s forces to sweep south and threaten the Ukrainian-held Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Meanwhile, Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers ⁠carried ⁠out patrol ​flights over neutral ⁠waters of the Barents ⁠Sea ​and ‌the Norwegian ‌Sea, Russian ‌news agencies said, citing the defence ‌ministry.

Foreign fighter jets ​escorted the Russian bombers ⁠during parts of the ​flights, the ​ministry ​said, quoted by Reuters.

Let’s catch up on the situation in the Netherlands (10:03, 11:40).

In the latest update, the track operator Pro Rail has said that various pipes and other items were found at 30 locations across the country.

All trains in the vicinity of the track blockages were halted, while there were also serious disruptions elsewhere, including to international services ‌to Germany, Reuters reported.

In some cases, there were also cases of new blockages re-appearing in the same places after they were cleared, NOS reported.

The incident comes on Prinsjesdag, or the Prince’s Day, when King Willem-Alexander formally opens a new session of parliament and sets out the government’s plans for the 2027 budget.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said that Lithuania will deliver a note to Belarus to set out what it knows about the overnight drone incursion into its airspace.

He added that the work to determine the type and ownership of the drone was underway. “We will take other actions based on that,” he said in comments quoted by Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.

Budrys added that Nato’s eastern flank “must be strengthened and its resilience increased” amid growing tensions with Russia.

Nordic correspondent

Experts said that Monday’s incident on the Danish straits reflects increasing tensions between Denmark and Russia that is slowly moving towards Cold War levels.

Ebsen Salling Larsen, a military analyst at the Center for Joint Operations at the Danish Defence Academy, said it is normal for Danish ships, helicopters or planes to go out to monitor Russian state-owned ships and warships. Sometimes this prompts Russian crew to point weapons at them or use a tracking radar.

But Monday’s incident, during which Russian flares were fired at a Danish helicopter, was unusual and marked a “change in pattern”.

“There’s an ongoing tension and the incident yesterday talks to that increased tension somewhat,” said Salling Larsen. “If you go back to the cold war you have more incidents of ships bumping into each other and so forth. We are slowly reaching that level again.”

The show of force, he said, was a reaction to Danish support for Ukraine and the Baltic states.

It is unlikely that Denmark would close the Danish straits, he said, because Copenhagen wants to follow international law and has its own vested interests in being able to move freely.

“That would be a Pandora’s box we would rather not open,” he said. “We are a small state with a large merchant fleet so we have some interests there as well.”

Meanwhile, Denmark’s defence minister Jeppe Bruus told Reuters that no ⁠warning ⁠or radio contact ​was ⁠made before ⁠a ​Russian ‌frigate ‌fired ‌flares towards a Danish military ‌helicopter.

He also said the flare from the frigate passed “within a matter of meters” from the Danish helicopter.

Bruus said it showed Russia’s increased willingness to take risks in its aggressive behaviour.

After speaking to the Russian media (12:25), Moscow’s ambassador to Copenhagen Vladimir Barbin was somewhat more incendiary in his comments to the Danish media.

He told Danish broadcaster DR that essentially it was the Danish helicopter that provoked the Russian ship, branding it a “reckless” behaviour.

He also accused Denmark of showing “no interest … in preventing the situation from escalating.”