Unidentified drone enters Lithuania from Belarus amid rising tensions
Editor's note: The article was expanded with additional comments by Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene.
An unidentified drone entered Lithuanian airspace on the morning of July 28, most likely from the direction of Belarus, the LRT public broadcaster reported.
"According to received reports, a drone was spotted at an altitude of about 200 meters, last seen near Vilnius," said Darius Buta, a representative of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center, according to LRT.
"It is unclear what type of drone it is; we will update the information."
The news follows multiple instances of Russian Shahed-type attack drones veering off course toward NATO territory during aerial attacks on Ukraine.
Lithuanian authorities said that all relevant services are working to locate the drone's possible crash site and warned residents not to approach the unmanned aircraft under any circumstances.
"Today, the weather is favorable for weather balloons, which smugglers use to fly their goods. We cannot yet specify what type of object or objects it is," Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene stressed in comments for LRT Radio.
The minister also noted that the upcoming military exercises in Belarus increase the likelihood of incidents, even unintentional ones.
The Zapad-2025 drills, expected to take place in mid-September, will involve around 13,000 troops and are among the largest joint exercises held by Russia and Belarus.
Later in the day, Sakaliene suggested the drone may have strayed into Lithuanian airspace after being jammed by Ukrainian defenses. "There are no indications" that the incident was a result of a deliberate provocation, she added.
Russia launched 324 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight on July 28, of which 309 were intercepted by Ukrainian defenses, Ukraine's Air Force said.
The Lithuanian military announced it would reinforce air defenses at the country's border with Belarus following the incident.
Belarus has been a key ally to Russia during its full-scale war against Ukraine, allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for military operations. Minsk has also recently escalated its hybrid operations against the EU by again funnelling illegal migrants to its borders, Ukrainian intelligence warned.
In a separate incident, a drone flew from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace on July 10. Though it was initially identified as a Shahed-type drone, Lithuanian border guards later clarified it was a homemade plywood drone that posed no danger.
Last September, a Russian drone with an armed warhead crashed in neighboring Latvia. Russian drones or missiles have also strayed into the territory of Poland, Moldova, and Romania during past attacks on Ukraine.
