Another drone crash in Lithuania raises local concerns over urban safety

A drone that crashed in Lithuania’s Utena district over the weekend was carrying explosives, prompting an emergency response and sparking fears among residents about potential risks to populated areas, **LRT** reports.

The unmanned aircraft, suspected to be of Ukrainian origin, was found near the village of Samanė in Utena district on Sunday evening. Authorities confirmed the presence of explosive materials, which were neutralised on-site Monday evening. The area was declared safe, and residents were allowed to return home.

A local man, Audrius, who owns a property in Sudeikiai, reported hearing unusual noises overnight. “It flew over the roof, maybe around 3 or 4 a.m. from Friday to Saturday,” he said. “The sound was like a tractor. At first, I thought it was a small plane, but then I realised it might have been a drone.”

The National Crisis Management Centre issued an alert Sunday evening after the drone was discovered in a field near Samanė, about 300 metres from a residential home. Jolita, a nearby resident, said she only realised something was wrong when emergency vehicles began passing her house. “I got scared—what if it had crashed in my garden while I was planting potatoes?” she said.

Other locals reacted with less alarm. One resident dismissed concerns, stating, “If it had been dangerous, we’d know. Right now, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Sudeikiai elder Laura Gaivenienė noted that only four residents are officially registered in Samanė. “I’m relieved it crashed in an open field with no houses nearby,” she said. “But it’s frightening to think what could happen if it had come down near Utena,” just 10 kilometres away.

Some Utena residents expressed broader unease. “It’s unsettling not knowing what these drones are capable of,” one woman said. Another added, “What if it had crashed in the city, on a playground or a residential building? There are real safety concerns here.”

Preliminary findings suggest the drone is Ukrainian, though not a *Shahed*-type model, according to Mindaugas Puskunigis, deputy chief of Utena police. “A resident mowing grass found the wreckage and alerted us. The fragments don’t match a *Shahed*,” he said.

The Air Force confirmed explosives at the site, which were neutralised in place. The Prosecutor General’s Office linked the incident to its ongoing pre-trial investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

This follows a similar incident in March, when a Ukrainian military drone crashed near Lavysas Lake in Varėna district, close to the Belarusian border, after reportedly being disrupted by Russian electronic warfare systems.