NKVC says Varėna object likely was not Ukrainian drone

The object spotted in Varėna district was probably not a Ukrainian drone, National Crisis Management Center (NKVC) chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas said, according to LRT.

Almost a day after the flying object was detected, it remained unclear what it was. Authorities are assessing whether the incident could have been a provocation or a test of Lithuania’s response systems, Vitkauskas told LRT radio on Monday.

Officials are also examining how neighbouring Belarus and Russia responded to the incident. Vitkauskas said there had been virtually no reaction, suggesting that the object was unlikely to have been a Ukrainian drone. If it had flown into Lithuania after crossing Belarus, he said, the incident would probably have been reported and discussed.

If the object is found to have been part of a hostile provocation directed against Lithuania, intelligence services should join the investigation, Vitkauskas said. He added that a reconnaissance flight or an attempt to assess Lithuania’s response procedures would be a more complicated matter.

The Lithuanian military recorded two incidents involving flying objects on Sunday. One was spotted before dawn in Varėna district, while the other was detected around noon in the Vilnius region. The military later confirmed that the second object was a flock of birds, not a drone.

The last air-raid warning was issued in June, when a radar target initially displaying characteristics associated with unmanned aircraft was later identified as a weather balloon. Earlier, air-raid warnings were issued after reports of drones entering Lithuanian airspace.