Nausėda says Russian drone entered Lithuania after veering off course

President Gitanas Nausėda said the drone that entered Lithuania from Belarus was probably a Russian Gerbera drone intended to attack Ukraine but diverted from its course, LRT reported. The State Defence Council met on Wednesday after the drone was shot down in Lithuanian territory.

According to Nausėda, the drone’s electronic components are still being analysed, which could reveal more information about its origin and the circumstances of its flight. He said it was probably not a deliberate operation against Lithuania, but a Russian drone redirected by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems before entering Lithuanian airspace.

The drone entered Lithuania overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The military issued alerts to residents in Vilnius, Trakai and Elektrėnai, and later in Kaunas County, advising them to identify a safe place. NATO personnel involved in the air defence mission eventually destroyed the drone near Pratkūnai village in Kaišiadorys district.

The location was cordoned off and guarded, while the Lithuanian Armed Forces and police worked there under the Shield plan.

Nausėda said similar incidents could occur again and that Lithuania needed to be prepared. He said threats should be detected as early as possible, preferably while still in neighbouring countries, allowing a faster response. He noted that Vilnius is close to the border because of Lithuania’s geographical position.

The president said Lithuania had made progress in integrated air defence but needed to develop alternative ways of destroying drones rather than relying only on allied fighter jets, whose operations are costly. He said several drones could arrive at once and that shooting all of them down with missiles would be expensive, although human lives were more valuable.

Nausėda said Lithuania’s security situation had not changed dramatically. He said a possible new mobilisation in Russia would mean that large resources were continuing to be devoted to the war in Ukraine, while a large-scale Russian operation against NATO countries was not being considered today or in the coming years.

However, he warned that Russia could still plan other provocations or acts of sabotage, including operations against Russian opposition figures and people or groups supporting Ukraine.