Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Rugienė confirmed that the drone that fell more than a day ago in the Varėna district was Ukrainian and intended for an attack on a target in Russian territory.
"The drone that crossed our airspace and entered the Varėna district was a Ukrainian drone. It is linked to an operation that the Ukrainians were conducting that night against Russia," the Prime Minister told reporters on Tuesday after a meeting of the National Security Commission.
"We can already confidently say that it was a wayward drone," she added.
Rugienė commented on the incident after a drone fell into Lake Lavysas in the Varėna district on Monday morning, having entered Lithuania's airspace. The military radars did not detect the object.
According to the defense system, the Ukrainian drone may have gone off course due to the effects of electronic warfare (EW) measures.
"The situation was responded to immediately, all the necessary procedures were followed, the area was cordoned off, and responsible services worked at the scene together with the army," the Prime Minister said.
She urged against speculating on the type of object, noting that a precise answer would come from the investigation.
"There are already suggestions in the public space about whether this could have been a Shahed-type drone or another object; however, such suggestions have not yet been confirmed, so it would be irresponsible to speculate," Rugienė pointed out.
"I also strongly urge the public not to spread unverified information and footage, but to immediately pass them on to the relevant services. (...) The services are actively acting according to established algorithms, but in this process, civil society also plays an important role by promptly passing on information," the head of government added.
Rugienė emphasized that this is not a local incident but "part of a broader reality in the security sphere," where Russian aggression against Ukraine creates additional risks for the region and complicates the forecasting of such incidents.
"Therefore, the state is consistently strengthening air defense, detection, and response capabilities, and will continue to strengthen them - faster, more accurately, and with even greater attention to preventing such threats," she stated.
As previously reported by BNS, last year, Russian "Gerbera" drones entered Lithuania twice, one of which carried explosives. It was established that these drones were directed at Ukraine but accidentally entered Lithuania after Ukrainian EW measures disrupted their course.
