Foresters find intact three-metre drone in Pasvalys district

LRT reported that a suspected drone found in a forest near Keneliai village in Pasvalys district on Wednesday is about three metres wide and does not resemble either a Shahed or a Gerbera-type drone.

The Emergency Response Centre received a report of the discovery at about 1:06 p.m. The drone was found by foresters and appears to have fallen several months ago.

Giedrius Bronušas, head of the Panevėžys regional division of the State Forest Enterprise, said foresters discovered the aircraft while inspecting areas affected by a storm and preparing to clear fallen trees.

“The forester doing the work came across it among the grass. According to him, it is about three metres wide and shaped like an aircraft,” Bronušas told LRT.lt.

He said the drone appeared largely intact, with its wings and fuselage still clearly visible.

Police have cordoned off the location and are guarding it. The Shield plan has been activated, while bomb disposal specialists from the police antiterrorist operations unit ARAS and Lithuanian Armed Forces personnel have been sent to the scene.

Police spokesman Ramūnas Matonis told BNS that a photograph from the scene showed an intact, undamaged drone. Officials said more details about the aircraft would be provided after the location had been examined.

The National Crisis Management Centre said preliminary information indicated that the drone was not similar to either a Shahed or a Gerbera-type model. Experts are expected to determine what kind of drone was found.

Ieva Petrauskaitė, head of the Pumpėnai eldership, said the discovery was news to her and that local residents had not reported it. She described the location as a remote area with a few residents and homesteads, surrounded by forest and farmland. Januškų Manor is located nearby.