Italian Eurofighters said to down suspected Russian drone over Lithuania

Two Italian F-2000 Eurofighter jets scrambled to intercept and shoot down a suspected Russian drone over Lithuanian airspace, according to a report by the Italian news agency ANSA.

The agency said the incident marked the second time in a month that Italian aircraft had been deployed to counter an unidentified drone in the region, though it did not provide further details on the exact date, location or the circumstances surrounding the interception.

Italy has contributed fighter jets to NATO's air-policing missions in the Baltic region, which involve allied aircraft monitoring and safeguarding the airspace of member states that do not operate their own fighter fleets, including Lithuania.

ANSA's report did not specify whether Russian authorities had commented on the incident or whether the drone's origin had been officially confirmed. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the details provided in the report.

Tensions between NATO member states and Russia have been heightened in recent months amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, with alliance members reporting a series of airspace violations and drone sightings near their borders, though the frequency and nature of such incidents involving Italian forces specifically could not be independently verified beyond the ANSA account.