Skeptics spread false claims after Lithuania drone incident

Following the incident in which a fighter jet shot down a drone in Kaišiadorys municipality, skeptics questioned whether the event had really occurred, LRT reported.

Social media users also questioned why explosives had to be located and neutralised separately after the drone was destroyed by aircraft involved in NATO’s air defence mission.

One theory claimed that the drone was Lithuanian rather than Russian or Ukrainian because the armed forces’ ground exercises are taking place until September 20. “It was only training; it was described on the municipality’s website four days ago,” one commenter wrote.

Some critics linked the incident to events on Sunday, when a possible drone threat was reported but radar operators later determined that they had detected a flock of birds. They suggested that the latest incident had been staged as a public relations operation.

Other users claimed that people interviewed by journalists were paid actors and questioned why there were so few photographs and videos from the scene. LRT said the area was cordoned off shortly after midnight and journalists were not allowed to enter. The armed forces later released footage and other material it had produced.

Residents also questioned how the explosives could have remained intact after the drone was shot down. “The drone was shot down, but the explosive remained undamaged?” one LRT reader wrote.

The Lithuanian armed forces advised residents and visitors to rely only on official information and public statements from institutions. “To avoid unfounded interpretations, we recommend that Lithuanian residents and guests rely only on official data provided by institutions and their public announcements,” military representatives said.

The armed forces also provided information about the Strong Griffin 2026 exercises, which are being held in Švenčionys district. The exercises include the integration of the Lithuanian military’s ANBO unmanned aircraft capability into joint training. The capability is intended to develop and integrate various unmanned aircraft systems and their uses, including reconnaissance, target detection, long-range strikes and countering enemy drones.

Residents had been warned that military units and equipment would move from Klaipėda towards Vilnius and the Švenčionys area. However, LRT noted that the drone was spotted at around midnight in places other than the exercise area, while crossing the border area with Belarus, then moving along southern Vilnius, Lentvaris and Trakai before flying near Kaunas.

Faustas Gudas, a drone expert, pilot and instructor, said it was not surprising that a missile could destroy the drone without detonating the explosives it was carrying. “It probably hit the wing rather than the explosive, or it hit nearby and the fragments spread,” he said.