Sinkevičius says downed Latvian drone may be false-flag operation

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has not ruled out the possibility that the drone shot down in Latvian airspace was part of a false-flag operation, LRT reported. He said this could be determined only after the drone or its wreckage is found.

“The downed drone has not yet been found. I think it will be found soon, and then it will become clear what kind of flying object it was and who it belonged to. Specialists may even be able to determine its target from its microchips,” Sinkevičius told LNK.

Asked whether the incident could have been a false-flag operation, he said the possibility could not be excluded, but there was no confirmation so far.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said last week that intelligence services had information that Russia was considering possible provocations in the Baltic region. He said no decision had been made and there was no precise date.

According to Kaunas, the Kremlin was considering attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region and Russia could potentially use Ukrainian drones for such operations. A false-flag operation is one in which a state carries out an action while creating the impression that another country was responsible.

A drone entered Latvian airspace overnight and was shot down by fighter jets from a NATO partner country. Latvia’s military later said on X that the air threat had been lifted, after previously urging residents to avoid being outdoors and move to a safe location.

The head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said the drone was shot down by NATO fighter jets that took off from Šiauliai Air Base. Information about the incident was still being уточined, and the military initially did not provide precise information about the drone’s origin over the Balvi region.

The military said it had detected a foreign drone that entered Latvian airspace because of electronic warfare conducted by Russia, suggesting that it may have been a Ukrainian drone.