Ukraine must notify Baltic states about stray drones, says Lithuanian deputy defence minister

Ukraine must inform the Baltic states when drones stray near their airspace, Lithuania’s deputy defence minister Tomas Godliauskas said on Tuesday, as reported by the BNS news agency.

“One of the key messages is that Ukrainians must share this information if they see, track, or know that a drone has gone off course or strayed,” Godliauskas told a press conference. “At the service level, this information should naturally be exchanged, and states must be informed.”

He added that Lithuania has a “direct interest” in maintaining a robust and effective air defence system, drawing on Ukraine’s experience in countering drone threats. The issue was discussed last week during a visit by Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas to Kyiv, where information-sharing and air defence cooperation were on the agenda.

“Politically, we have repeatedly discussed not only Ukraine’s air defence but also this emerging challenge and the lessons learned from Ukraine,” Godliauskas said. “This isn’t new—we’ve been sharing these lessons for four years now.”

His remarks follow recent drone incidents in the Baltics. Estonia’s defence forces issued an air threat alert late Monday after detecting aerial activity beyond its airspace that posed a potential risk. Drone debris was later found in Tartu County. Latvia also reported an unidentified drone approaching its airspace on Monday evening.

Last week, several drones flew over and exploded in the Baltic states. Authorities suspect they were Ukrainian drones that veered off course after being directed at targets in Russia. Officials have warned that such incidents could recur due to the broader impact of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.

A drone crashed last week onto the frozen surface of Lake Lavyso in Lithuania’s Varėna district, near the Belarusian border. Ukraine later expressed regret over the incident.

In unrelated comments, Godliauskas also addressed criticism of plans to establish a military training ground in Kapčiamestis, where local community leaders have compared the government’s land acquisition process to “occupation.” The deputy minister dismissed the analogy as incomprehensible, emphasising that the project follows Lithuanian legal procedures and serves national security needs.

“There is a state interest, legal arguments, and a legal document prepared in accordance with Lithuania’s regulations,” he said. “It’s hard to understand how a community or legal representatives can use such strange terms—occupation or similar.”

Godliauskas stressed that the necessity of the training ground had been repeatedly explained to the public, linking it to threat assessments, defence investments, and Lithuania’s obligations to host allied forces.