Lithuanian military completes search of 70 percent of territory for missing drone

The Lithuanian military has searched roughly 70 percent of the suspected crash zone for a drone that entered the country’s airspace before disappearing from radar, Chief of Defence Raimundas Vaikšnoras told reporters on Thursday, according to public broadcaster LRT.

Speaking after a closed-door meeting of the National Defence and Security Committee (NSGK) in parliament, Vaikšnoras confirmed that the search operation is ongoing but declined to estimate its duration. “So far, there is no information that [the drone] has been found,” he said, adding that forces have been reinforced and the search area narrowed to a remaining 30 percent near the border.

“If it didn’t [crash] and accidentally flew back to Belarus, then, as they say, there’s nothing to discuss,” Vaikšnoras said, noting he had no confirmation of such a scenario. Authorities are also appealing to residents in the Varėna district to share any footage or sightings of the drone, though he cautioned that not all calls have come from the target area.

The general urged the public not to approach or disturb the drone if found, instead instructing them to alert authorities immediately. The search effort involves helicopters, reconnaissance drones, and ground teams, with progress dependent on weather conditions and terrain coverage. “Everything depends on how quickly we can survey the entire area,” he said, acknowledging the operation’s complexity.

The drone was first detected near the Lithuanian border early Wednesday morning, prompting NATO air policing jets to scramble and a temporary shutdown of Vilnius Airport’s airspace. Train operations in the Vilnius region were also halted. National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) issued air raid alerts for residents in Ignalina, Utena, Švenčionys, and Zarasai districts, later extending the warning to the Vilnius region. The alerts were lifted by 10:51 AM after the drone vanished from radar near Merkine at approximately 11:09 AM. The object had crossed into Lithuanian airspace at around 9:40 AM.