United News of Bangladesh

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight, officials said Tuesday, less than a day after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned that attacks near alliance territory would push the bloc to step up its support for Ukraine. The drone was brought down near the village of Pratkūnai in the Kaišiadorys district, about 100 kilometers west of the capital Vilnius and close to the Kaunas Reservoir, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center said. Lithuania’s military said it was the first time a drone had been shot down inside the country’s airspace. Authorities did not identify where the drone came from or what its purpose was, saying the incident was still under investigation. The incident came hours after Rutte said in a speech Monday at NATO headquarters in Brussels that strikes “close to NATO territory” reflected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” and his intention to spread “fear and terror.” “Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine,” Rutte said. He also pledged to strengthen the 32-member alliance’s defenses along its long eastern border with Russia. Drone likely carried explosives Drone threats have repeatedly raised concern in Lithuania, which borders Belarus, a close Russian ally, and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. Antanas Matutis, commander of the Lithuanian Air Force, said authorities had recovered the drone’s wreckage and that it was “likely” carrying explosives. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Center, told Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT that the drone most likely entered Lithuania from Belarus. It remained in Lithuanian airspace for about 30 minutes and flew along the outskirts of populated areas before being intercepted, he said. Ukraine says it is ready to de-escalate Meanwhile, Russian drone attacks continued across Ukraine after U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday on social media that Russia and Ukraine had agreed “not to hit” each other’s energy infrastructure. Trump provided no further details about the reported agreement, while Russia did not immediately comment. Previous attempts to arrange even limited ceasefires have repeatedly collapsed within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday that Kyiv was “ready to support de-escalation.” “We see that the Russians feel the pressure from our precise strikes on Russia’s war economy,” he said, adding that there had so far been no genuine indication that Moscow wanted to end the war. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would take steps to reduce tensions if its U.S. partners could ensure that Russia was genuinely prepared to end the war “for real and for the long term.” Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Tuesday that eight people had been wounded in Russian strikes on Kyiv since the start of the day. Two of them were injured in attacks on gas stations in the capital. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 222 Ukrainian drones overnight. A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack also caused several fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said. He said two apartment buildings and three private homes were damaged, along with an educational institution, agricultural warehouses and a facility belonging to Russian online retailer Ozon.