Lithuania’s national security commission reviews downed drone and railway safety measures

The Lithuanian National Security Commission will meet on Wednesday to examine the circumstances of a drone crash in Utena district and assess railway infrastructure security, BNS reports.

A representative for Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, who chairs the commission, stated that officials will review all details surrounding the unmanned aircraft found in Samanė village, Utena district, and evaluate potential improvements in responding to such incidents.

Authorities suspect the drone, which carried explosives later neutralised by bomb disposal teams, was of Ukrainian origin. Earlier this year, a similar Ukrainian military drone crashed near the Belarusian border in Varėna district after reportedly being disrupted by Russian electronic warfare systems. Such incidents have become more frequent in the Baltic Sea region in recent months.

On Tuesday, a drone entering Estonian airspace was shot down by a NATO fighter jet.

The commission will also discuss a railway safety action plan following recent derailments. In early May, a locomotive and four freight cars derailed near Palemonas en route to Duisburg, while several wagons carrying scrap metal went off the tracks at Gudžiūnai station in Kėdainiai district. After these incidents, the prime minister instructed agencies to propose measures for strengthening infrastructure security.