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VILNIUS, Lithuania — <\/span>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 said that strikes close to the alliance’s territory<\/a> would drive the trans-Atlantic organization to increase its support for Kyiv.<\/p>\n The drone was downed near the village of Pratk\u016bnai in the Kai\u0161iadorys district, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of the country’s capital, Vilnius, and near the Kaunas Reservoir, Lithuania\u2019s National Crisis Management Center said Tuesday.<\/p>\n Lithuania\u2019s military said that the incident marked the first time that a drone had been shot down in the country\u2019s airspace. Authorities didn\u2019t comment on the drone\u2019s origin or purpose, saying the incident needed further investigation.<\/p>\n The incursion follows a speech by Rutte on Monday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he said that strikes \u201cclose to NATO territory\u201d showed Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s \u201cdesperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRussia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine,\u201d Rutte said. He also pledged to bolster the 32-nation alliance’s own defenses along its long eastern border with Russia.<\/p>\n The menace of drones<\/a> has repeatedly loomed over the skies of Lithuania, which shares borders with Belarus, a key ally of Moscow, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.<\/p>\n Antanas Matutis, commander of the Lithuanian air force, said that the wreckage had been found, and the drone \u201clikely\u201d was carrying explosives.<\/p>\n Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the crisis center, told Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT that the drone most likely entered from Belarus. It remained in Lithuanian airspace for about 30 minutes and flew along the outskirts of populated areas before being intercepted, he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes continued across Ukraine following a social media post from U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed \u201cnot to hit\u201d<\/a> each other\u2019s energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n Trump didn’t offer further details on the purported agreement, and Russia didn’t immediately comment on Trump\u2019s post. Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday that Kyiv was \u201cready to support de-escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe see that the Russians feel the pressure from our precise strikes on Russia\u2019s war economy. And so far, no one has seen any genuine desire on Russia\u2019s part to move toward ending the war,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if our American partners can ensure that Russia is genuinely ready to stop this war aimed at destroying life \u2014 and to do so for real and for the long term \u2014 Ukraine will take its own de-escalatory steps.\u201d<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s State Emergency Service said Tuesday that eight people were wounded in Russian strikes on Kyiv since the start of the day, including two who were wounded in strikes on the capital’s gas stations. <\/p>\n Elsewhere, Russian forces shot down 222 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. <\/p>\n A \u201cmassive\u201d Ukrainian drone attack sparked several fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said. He said on Telegram that two apartment buildings and three private homes had been damaged, as well as an educational institution, agricultural warehouses and a site belonging to Russian e-retailer Ozon.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow the AP\u2019s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/russia-ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n