(ANSA-AFP) - VILNIUS, 15 SET - NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania, the Baltic state's president said Tuesday, in the latest security incident on the alliance's eastern flank during Russia's war with Ukraine. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- NATO members sharing a long border with Russia -- regularly report drone incursions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "A drone that just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets," Gitanas Nauseda wrote in a post on X. "With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region," he added. According to Lithuanian national radio LRT, citing preliminary data from the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC), the drone came from neighbouring Belarus and was heading west. It fell in a rural area near Lake Kaunas, in the center of the country, the broadcaster added. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys in a post on X thanked allies "whose presence helps protect our skies and strengthens our security". (ANSA-AFP).