Lithuania says downed drone investigation will take time

Lithuania’s investigation into a drone shot down by NATO fighter jets will take time, Defence Minister Robert Kaunas told LRT radio on Wednesday.

He said the wreckage collected after the incident had to be carefully analysed because drone bodies and the materials used to build them are often similar across different types.

Investigators also need equipment to reconstruct the drone’s flight path and determine its possible launch site. The engine and other engineering and technical components will be important in assessing the circumstances, Kaunas said.

Lithuania has also agreed to cooperate and share information with Poland, where a crashed drone of unclear origin was found on the coast.

Kaunas declined to confirm that the drone, which entered Lithuania from Belarus, was Russian-made, saying there was not yet enough evidence. He said Lithuania would identify those responsible once it had precise data on all the incidents.

BNS reported that NATO fighter jets stationed in Lithuania shot down the drone in Kaišiadorys district during the night. It was found to have been carrying explosives, which Lithuanian bomb disposal specialists neutralised.

Air danger warnings have been issued in Lithuania in recent months as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, but this was the first time a drone had been shot down over the country. Similar incidents had previously occurred in Latvia and Estonia.