“Ukraine absolutely must — and military officials as well as NATO representatives are saying this — define its targets much more precisely in order not to create security threats for Alliance countries. Ukraine must be very careful: while understanding its tactical objectives in the war it is fighting, it must protect the territory of NATO countries,” said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
He argued that “threats to NATO countries” could contribute to Russian provocations and be used by Russia for propaganda purposes, as well as for “escalating the conflict and intensifying hybrid warfare.”
Drone incidents
On March 23, Lithuanian military officials reported that a suspicious drone had entered the country’s airspace. It crashed into an ice-covered lake about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Belarusian border.
Lithuania’s Defense Ministry suggested the drone was likely headed to attack the Russian port of Primorsk in Leningrad Oblast. Drone attacks on the Russian ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga began on the night of March 23.
On May 17, authorities in Lithuania said drone debris had been discovered in a field in the Utena district after the aircraft crashed without signs of an explosion. The National Crisis Management Center said it could have been a Ukrainian military drone, although specialists were still determining its origin and whether it carried explosives.
On May 19, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, threatened the Baltic states with “retaliation” over claims by Russian intelligence that Ukrainian drones had been launched from their territory, allegations Kyiv denied. Latvia’s representative called Russia’s statements lies and “a sign of desperation and weakness,” while the United States reaffirmed support for its NATO allies.
Also on May 19, Estonia shot down a drone from a Romanian fighter jet that was believed to have been heading toward targets inside Russia. It marked the first time the country independently destroyed a drone in its own airspace.