Lithuanian border guards down drone that crossed from Belarus

Lithuanian border guards successfully brought down a drone that entered the country’s airspace from Belarus, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported on Monday.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening when the Varėna Border District’s Purvėnai Border Outpost received an inquiry from the Lithuanian Air Force regarding an unidentified flying object—believed to be a drone—detected between Purvėnai, Eišiškės, and Mantviliškės in the Šalčininkai district.

Video surveillance operators soon spotted the drone moving toward the state border. Border guards deployed anti-drone equipment, causing the aircraft to change course toward the Eišiškės Border Control Point. A rapid response team was dispatched to the suspected landing site, where, after a second use of counter-drone measures, the aircraft crashed near Dumblė village.

About 500 metres from the border, officers located the downed homemade drone, which showed significant damage from the impact. No cargo was found on board. Following a thorough inspection of the area, the drone was transported to the Purvėnai Border Outpost for further examination.