Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that Russia is intentionally diverting Ukrainian drones towards the Baltic States while simultaneously conducting an information campaign against Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Amid new threats from Russia towards Latvia, Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys made a sharp statement regarding Moscow's actions in the region.
According to Budrys, Russia is intentionally directing Ukrainian drones into the airspace of the Baltic States and then using these incidents for informational pressure and slanderous campaigns.
"This is an obvious act of desperation," the minister wrote on social media platform X, commenting on the situation surrounding the drones and the recent statements from Russian authorities.
The statement came after the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that Ukraine is allegedly preparing strikes on Russian territory from bases in the Baltic States. Moscow also asserted that Ukrainian units are already present in Latvia.
Russian intelligence listed several Latvian military sites, including bases in Ādaži, Selija, Lielvārde, Daugavpils, and Jēkabpils. At the same time, threats were directed at Latvia — Moscow announced "just retribution," despite the country's NATO membership.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs called the Russian statements lies and emphasized that Latvia does not allow its territory to be used for preparing attacks against other states.
In Lithuania, it is believed that such statements from Moscow are related not only to the military situation but also to attempts to increase pressure on the countries in the region.
The Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, Juozas Olekas, stated that Russia is likely trying to take advantage of the political instability in Latvia and the discussion of air defense issues.
According to him, the Kremlin seeks to distract attention from the situation on the front in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian army is increasingly using new technologies and drones to strike at Russian military infrastructure.
Importantly, official representatives of the Baltic States and NATO have previously explained the appearance of Ukrainian drones in the region as a result of Russian electronic warfare systems. They stated that the drones are deviating from their course after attempts by Russia to jam their signals.
In light of the increasing incidents involving drones and reports of GPS interference, the Baltic States are increasingly discussing hybrid threats and the need to strengthen security systems.
Lithuanian President's advisor Deividas Matulėnas noted that the risk of hybrid attacks in the region is constant, so security services and NATO allies continue to monitor the situation closely.
In recent weeks, the topic of drones and aerial threats has become one of the key issues in the Baltic States — especially after incidents in Latvia, where drones have already fallen or exploded on the country's territory several times.
