Advisor says downed drone likely strayed from course

Deividas Matulionis, the president’s chief national security adviser, said the drone shot down by NATO fighter jets over Kaišiadorys district early Tuesday was probably off course, although it remains unclear whether it was Russian or Ukrainian. LRT reported.

“Most likely, it was a Russian or Ukrainian drone that had strayed from its course, but at this point we cannot say exactly,” Matulionis told Žinių radijas.

He said investigators would determine whether the drone had been deliberately launched into Lithuanian territory. Matulionis also warned that the number of such incidents could increase.

Responding to social media comments that residents heard the drone before authorities issued warnings, he said this was normal. There is a delay between a flying object being detected by radar and warning messages being sent, as the decision is based on specific criteria.

“It is a matter of minutes. Whether the resident noticed it first or the military did is not the essential point,” Matulionis said.

He added that Belarus had recently not been warning Lithuania about incidents in its airspace.

BNS reported that Italian fighter jets stationed in Šiauliai shot down the drone near the Kruonis hydroelectric pumped-storage plant in Kaišiadorys district after it entered Lithuania from Belarus. Residents in Vilnius and Kaunas counties received warnings of a possible air threat as the drone crossed Lithuanian territory.

Warnings about possible air threats have been issued in Lithuania in recent months as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, but this was the first time a drone had been shot down over the country. Similar incidents had previously occurred in Latvia and Estonia.

Security council to discuss air defence

President Gitanas Nausėda will convene the State Defence Council on Wednesday to discuss the development of air defence, his adviser said.

Matulionis said the meeting had been planned in advance and was not linked to the recent incidents in Lithuanian airspace. The council will assess progress in strengthening air defence, identify remaining needs and review available resources, he said.

On Sunday, residents in parts of southeastern Lithuania were warned of a possible air threat after radar detected a flock of birds. Earlier that day, authorities near Varėna also detected an object crossing Lithuanian territory and entering Russia’s Kaliningrad region, possibly from Belarus. No air threat was declared because of insufficient data.