Sinkevičius says drone that crashed in Lithuania carried explosives

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said there was no doubt that a drone that entered the country on Sunday and crashed in Pasvalys district was carrying explosives, LRT reported. Authorities are investigating why it came down and what caused the explosion.

Speaking after a meeting of the National Security Commission on Monday, Sinkevičius said the FPV drone was believed to be Ukrainian-made. He cited debris and information from Ukraine that contact had been lost with one of its drones during an attack. “It is likely this is the drone that exploded in Lithuanian territory,” he said.

Sinkevičius said the drone had entered Lithuania from Poland, making the incident different from previous cases in which drones crossed from Belarus. Fighter jets detected the moving object on radar, but poor weather prevented visual contact, he said.

Investigators are examining whether the drone ran out of fuel or descended before crashing, and whether it exploded on impact with the ground, forest or trees, the prime minister said.

The commission also discussed protection of critical infrastructure. Sinkevičius said that from Monday, security would be stepped up at more than 15 facilities managing infrastructure of national importance.

He also said incendiary liquids and Molotov cocktails had been used in an attempt to set fire to premises in Vilnius where the US company SpaceX operates. A guard noticed the fire and tried to extinguish it before firefighters arrived. Starlink antennas were not set alight, but a control unit was slightly burned. Sinkevičius described the incident as sabotage and said those responsible were being sought.

The drone crashed on Sunday morning, damaging a civilian car. Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said it was connected to a Ukrainian attack on St Petersburg, and Ukraine apologised. Air alerts were issued in Šiauliai and Panevėžys counties and in Kaunas, then lifted about an hour later.