Minister demands answers over uneven drone alerts in Lithuania

Lithuania’s defence minister has called it unacceptable that warning messages were reportedly sent only to residents in the north after a suspected drone entered the country, LRT reported. Possible drone debris was found in Juodžioniai village in Pasvalys district, where Lithuanian troops are working at the scene.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the object was preliminarily believed to have entered from Poland. Lithuanian radars detected it, and NATO air policing fighters were activated to identify it. Bad weather prevented visual contact, he said. Police information indicated that debris may have damaged a civilian car; the information is being investigated.

Kaunas said the Lithuanian military had been asked to establish a detailed timeline. Authorities will also ask the Fire and Rescue Department why warning messages were not sent on time, if that is what happened. He said everyone should have been informed promptly if the object was detected over part of Lithuania. The minister said he had contacted Poland’s defence minister and requested a joint investigation.

The military radar track was recorded at about 6am, moving north from Polish territory. At 6.15am, fighters from the NATO air policing mission were activated at the air base in Šiauliai. The track later disappeared from military radar screens, and the fighters returned to the base.

Red air alerts were issued in Šiauliai and Panevėžys counties, while a yellow alert was issued in Kaunas. The alerts were lifted at about 8am.

Kaunas also said a fire had broken out overnight at a company site connected with Starlink infrastructure. The incident was contained and is under investigation.