Lithuania declines to comment on Ukrainian intelligence claims that drones reaching Baltic states are redirected by Russia

Lithuania’s defence minister has neither confirmed nor denied Ukrainian intelligence reports that Russia is deliberately redirecting drones toward Baltic states and Finland, according to a Thursday statement carried by public broadcaster LRT.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas declined to address the claims directly, citing operational security, but acknowledged Russia’s broader efforts to destabilise regional societies. “I do not want to comment on intelligence data for obvious reasons, but Russia is undoubtedly doing everything to influence our society, to intimidate, to sow distrust,” he said.

Kaunas emphasised that Lithuania’s airspace and territory are not being used for military operations against Russia, suggesting any drones entering its airspace had strayed off course due to electronic warfare interference. “We see this in all Baltic states and Finland,” he added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha earlier stated that Kyiv possesses intelligence indicating Russia is intentionally redirecting unmanned aerial vehicles toward Baltic countries and Finland to exploit such incidents for disinformation campaigns. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Ruginienė dismissed the claim on Wednesday, calling it “gossip” and insisting the recent drone crash in Varėna district was accidental.

“I do not confirm this. Let’s stop listening to various rumours; let’s listen to what the services say. Our services have spoken very clearly about this incident. A drone strayed due to an unintentional incident, and this information is true,” Ruginienė told reporters.

The incident in question occurred last week when a Ukrainian drone crashed in Lithuania’s Varėna district. Military officials confirmed the object had not been detected by radar. Similar cases have been reported in Latvia, Estonia, and Finland in recent months.

Following questions about Lithuania’s air defence capabilities, Ruginienė acknowledged challenges in acquiring necessary systems, noting that full operational capacity is expected by 2030. Kaunas previously stated that some of the radars ordered last year and early 2026 have been delivered, with further installations planned through 2028.