NATO troops destroy drone over Lithuanian village, residents recall blast

NATO air policing mission troops destroyed a drone in the air after it entered Lithuania near Pratkūnai, a village in Kaišiadorys District, LRT reports. Residents told LRT.lt they experienced a restless night, hearing the drone, aircraft and military equipment, while some saw a flash in the sky.

Several residents said they were awakened by the sounds of the drone and fighter jets and saw a burst of light. Others, including people living close to where the drone fell, said they slept through the incident.

Vitalija, a local resident, said the sound of the drone was intense.

“A strong sound, as if a war had started. There was also this light,” she said.

Virginija said she had again felt anxious despite having received warnings about possible dangers before.

“We are already used to it. But we really do not want things to be tense,” she said.

Kazys, who lives about 2.5 to 3 kilometres from the drone, said he woke up to the sound of an explosion and felt as if the house had shaken.

“I could hear a military helicopter flying. I saw clearly that it was flying,” he said.

He described the experience as the most frightening of his life.

“You cannot imagine it. You cannot put it into words. It was not thunder, it was not something else. It seemed like the end of the world. I was terribly frightened. I have never been so scared in my life,” Kazys said.

The resident said he spoke with police during the night and told them where the drone debris might be. He questioned why it took so long for a warning about the possible danger to arrive.

“It exploded, and five minutes later they reported an air-raid warning. What kind of systems are these? It is ridiculous. My first thought was that two planes had collided, because of what was happening in the sky: there was a lot of fire, a lot of sparks and the smell of gunpowder,” he said.

Another resident, Marytė, said she immediately understood what had happened after hearing the sound.

“A dull thud, and that was it. Everything was over. The windows did not shake, but there was a roar. Not like an aircraft. I live in the centre,” she said.

Marytė said she was not frightened by the sound of the fighter jets and the drone.

“What is there to be afraid of? I have already lived my life,” she said.

Saša, who lives near the cordoned-off area, said he heard an explosion at around midnight or shortly afterwards.

“Something rustled, then there was a big explosion. We received warnings by text message and saw that it was a yellow alert. We felt uneasy. Then another message arrived saying the air danger had been cancelled, and we went back to sleep. It felt unsettling. Something bad is happening,” he said.

Saša said he did not feel the windows shaking, but described the sound as very loud. He initially thought something might have struck a tree in the forest. By early morning, when he had to go to work, military police had already arrived.

“It is unpleasant, there is no question about that. Now you think, ‘Just not at your place,’ but it happened right here, especially since there is a strategic facility nearby,” Alvydas, who lives in the vicinity, said.

Svajūnas, another resident of the surrounding area, said he had a different experience and heard nothing during the night.

“It is strange, but I heard nothing. A signal came to our phone and woke us up. It had been raining before, and I heard what sounded like some kind of humming. I listened to it, and then everything ended. We received messages saying it was all over,” he told LRT.lt.