Expert rates Lithuania’s drone alert readiness three out of 10

Many shelters remained locked and some residents did not receive warnings during Sunday’s drone-related air alert, prompting a volunteer who fought in Ukraine to rate Lithuania’s preparedness three out of 10. LRT reported that Arūnas Kumpis said “in reality, nothing works.”

The alert was declared after a drone entered Lithuanian airspace. People in regions placed in the red zone reacted differently: some sought shelter, others reported locked facilities, and some stayed home despite official warnings. Authorities later found that alerts had not reached some residents.

In Šiauliai, more than half of the registered shelters were locked. The city has 131 shelters: 61 under municipal institutions and 70 managed by state institutions or private companies. By Monday morning, 64 had been opened, including 52 managed by municipal institutions. Officials said they were still collecting information on why the others had remained locked.

Only 105 people in Šiauliai were initially reported to have sought shelter. The government’s target is for shelters in major cities to accommodate 60% of residents; Šiauliai’s current capacity is 59.3%.

Šiauliai municipal preparedness officer Paulius Stočkus said the city would encourage the installation of remotely operated locks so shelters could be opened if those responsible were away. The city has discussed the need for remote locks since the first air alert in May and has allocated funding to institutions that requested them. A lock costs between 500 and 1,500 euros, and some shelters may need several.

Stočkus said the Šiauliai Technology Training Centre, which manages six shelters, and major shopping centres responded quickly. The shopping centres broadcast instructions for employees to go to underground car parks, and nearby residents could hear the announcements too. Some volunteers also checked shelters, an initiative Stočkus described as positive.

Panevėžys municipality did not post information about the danger on its website on Sunday. Pasvalys district municipality, where the drone exploded, published two brief updates.

Kumpis, who spent two and a half years defending Ukraine with weapons, also warned that increased allied forces would not deter an aggressor and that Lithuania would have to defend itself.