Minister says drone shot down in Lithuania likely carried no explosives

A drone that entered Lithuania from Belarus was preliminarily found to be carrying no explosives, LRT reported, citing National Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas. Its origin has not yet been established.

The drone entered Lithuania overnight from Monday to Tuesday. After midnight, the military sent alerts to residents in Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrėnai and later Kaunas County, warning that a drone had potentially been detected and urging people to identify a safe place.

Military personnel serving in NATO’s air defence mission eventually destroyed the drone. It was shot down near Pratkūnai village in Kaišiadorys district.

The location has been cordoned off and guarded, and the Shield plan has been activated. Military police and Lithuanian police forces are working at the scene.

Kaunas said investigators had recovered drone parts and wreckage and were searching a wider area for additional fragments. They will also try to establish the drone’s route and determine whether it was a Russian drone and a possible provocation, or a defensive drone from another country.

“Let us not rush to conclusions,” Kaunas said, adding that the information about the absence of explosives was highly preliminary and still being verified.

He said the aircraft had protected both Lithuanian and NATO airspace. Kaunas warned that incidents of this kind in the Baltic region could increase if Russia is not pressured to negotiate peace.