NATO's defense planning lags behind Russia's current military operations in Eastern Europe. Russian airspace violations and drone incursions have become systematic provocations, exposing NATO's slow decision-making and procurement processes, requiring permanent rules of engagement and cost-effective interception capabilities.
NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace near Kaunas after originating from Belarus, with Lithuania's president citing Russia's intensified aggression against Ukraine. Poland separately recovered a suspected Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea, prompting air force activation as a preventive measure amid ongoing Russian drone attacks on Ukraine.