Lithuanian defence minister declines to comment on Ukraine’s claims Russia redirected drones to Baltics

Lithuania’s defence minister, Robertas Kaunas, has refused to comment on Ukraine’s assertion that Russia deliberately redirected drones toward the Baltic states and Finland to provoke tensions, LRT reports.

Speaking to the Baltic News Service (BNS) on Tuesday, Kaunas stated: “This should be addressed to Ukraine. I will not comment on intelligence data—neither ours nor Ukraine’s. There are public interpretations, but as I said, I will not comment on intelligence information.”

Last week, several drones were detected and exploded in the Baltic states, with authorities suspecting they were Ukrainian drones that had strayed off course after being launched at targets in Russia. On Sunday, Finland reported that two drones had crashed in its southeast, one of which was confirmed to be of Ukrainian origin.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha claimed on Monday that these incidents were deliberate Russian actions aimed at creating friction between Ukraine and its European allies. He suggested Moscow was attempting to destabilise relations by redirecting drones toward allied territories.

The Lithuanian presidency previously noted that Kyiv had expressed regret over the incidents. Baltic officials have emphasised that such cases are a consequence of Russia’s large-scale war of aggression.