Drone debris found in eastern Lithuania may be Ukrainian
Drone wreckage found in Lithuania (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
A drone was found crashed in a field in the village of Samane in Lithuania’s Utena district on the evening of May 17, the country’s National Crisis Management Center said, according to broadcaster LRT on May 18.
At a press conference late Sunday, National Crisis Management Center chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas said a military drone had likely crashed in Lithuania.
“Yes, it crashed, but there are no visible signs of an explosion. Whether it carried explosives or not is difficult to say at this point,” Vitkauskas said, adding that more precise information would be available once specialists returned from the crash site.
It remains unclear from which country the drone entered Lithuanian territory. However, the crisis center said preliminary indications suggest it was a Ukrainian drone.
“Based on the initial signs we can see in the wreckage sent by colleagues, this is most likely a Ukrainian drone,” Vitkauskas told reporters.
Drone incidents in Lithuania
On March 23, the Lithuanian military said a suspicious drone had entered the country’s airspace. It later crashed into a frozen lake about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Belarusian border.
Lithuania’s Defense Ministry said the drone was likely heading to attack the Russian port of Primorsk in the Leningrad region. Drone attacks on the Russian ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga were reported overnight on March 23.
On March 25, Latvia’s Air Force detected a drone entering the country’s airspace from Russia.
A similar incident occurred in Estonia, where a drone struck the smokestack of a power plant in the village of Auvere. Estonian authorities later said it was a Ukrainian drone that had gone off course and that the intended target was Russia, not Estonia.
On March 27, the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called for stronger air defenses following the drone incidents in Baltic airspace.
The ministers noted that several foreign drones had crossed NATO airspace in the Baltic states that week.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Kyiv had neither directed nor could have directed drones toward the Baltic states, commenting on the incidents involving drones that entered Lithuania and later Latvia and Estonia the previous week.
Will you support Ukraine’s free press?
Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations.
As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility – to amplify Ukraine’s voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation.
It’s the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine.
If you’re willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda.
Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd.
If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly.
There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting.
We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If you’re willing to stand up for the truth – consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.
Will you help tell Ukraine’s story to the world?
Twenty years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyone’s lips and everyone’s headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of – from music and culture to technology.
We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If you’re willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
