dron crash in Varėna district raises concerns after loud explosion heard

Witnesses reported a loud explosion in Varėna district, Lithuania, early Monday, which local authorities suspect may have been caused by a falling drone.

Vytautas Labednykas, who owns a homestead in Žiūrai village, told LRT RADIJAS that around 3 a.m. he heard a sound similar to a drone flying low over his property. Approximately 15 seconds later, a powerful explosion rattled his windows.

“The explosion was so loud that the windows shook. I went outside to check, but there was nothing to see—just silence,” Labednykas said. He later drove three kilometres to Lavyso village, where he found emergency services and police already at the scene. Officials confirmed that an unidentified object had crashed near Lake Lavyso.

According to Labednykas, local residents who also heard the blast described it as sounding like an explosion in their own yards. He later reviewed security camera footage near Lavyso and identified the moment of the explosion. The impact left a large hole in the ice on the lake, measuring several metres across.

The Lithuanian military stated that preliminary data suggests the object may have been a drone that crossed into Lithuanian airspace and crashed in Varėna district.

LRT RADIJAS, LRT.lt