NKVC says Varėna object likely was not Ukrainian drone

The flying object spotted in Varėna district was probably not a Ukrainian drone that had veered off course, the head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, told LRT radio on Monday.

Almost a day after the sighting, it was still unclear whether the object had been a drone. Lithuanian authorities were assessing whether the incident could have been a provocation or an attempt to test the country’s response systems, Vitkauskas said.

Authorities were also examining how neighbouring Belarus and Russia responded. Vitkauskas said there had been virtually no reaction, suggesting that the object was probably not a Ukrainian drone, as such an incident would likely have been reported and discussed if it had flown across Belarusian territory.

If the object is found to have been part of a hostile provocation directed against Lithuania, intelligence services should join the investigation, he said. This would also apply if it was an intelligence flight or an attempt to assess Lithuania’s response procedures.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces recorded two incidents involving flying objects on Sunday. One was spotted early in the morning in Varėna district, while the other was seen around midday in the Vilnius region. The military later confirmed that the second object was not a drone but a flock of birds.

The most recent air-raid warning before Sunday was issued in Vilnius County on June 13 after the military detected a radar trace with characteristics typical of an unmanned aircraft. The National Crisis Management Center later identified the target as a weather balloon.

Air-raid warnings were also issued in Utena County on May 21 after two drones were reported to have entered Lithuanian airspace, and in Vilnius County a day earlier. The latter was the first such incident in the history of the restored Lithuanian state, according to LRT.