Lithuania confirms crashed drone near Varėna was not a “Shahed” model

The drone that crashed and exploded last month in Lithuania’s Varėna district was not a “Shahed” type, as initially suspected, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking in the Seimas, Kaunas said experts had initially identified the drone as a “Shahed” based on its sound, but further analysis revealed it was “a completely different type”.

“As we saw in Lithuania when a Ukrainian drone crashed, all our experts swore it was a ‘Shahed’ type. They had heard that sound before. In reality, it turned out to be a completely different type of drone,” the minister stated.

The incident occurred a month ago when the drone crashed and detonated in a lake in Varėna district. Authorities initially suspected it was a stray Ukrainian drone, possibly a “Shahed” model, though neither the military nor border guards had detected its entry into Lithuanian airspace.