A homemade aircraft resembling a small drone crossed into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus and crashed near the border on Thursday, Lithuanian border officials said.
The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said the object, initially mistaken for a Shahed drone, was detected around 11:30 by officers from the Kena border post in the Vilnius district.
Officials said the object resembled a makeshift plane and appeared to be constructed from plywood and foam. It crashed near the now-closed Šumskas border checkpoint, roughly one kilometre from the Belarusian border.
There is no indication that the glider was carrying any cargo, and authorities confirmed it posed no threat.
Border officials notified the Lithuanian Air Force, which oversees national airspace security.
VSAT said it frequently detects attempts to smuggle contraband – particularly cigarettes – into Lithuania using drones, weather balloons, and improvised aerial vehicles launched from Belarus.
Parliament Speaker Saulius Skvernelis has confirmed to journalists that he was taken to a shelter because of the airspace violation.
“The Command Security Service told us to go to the shelter, so we did,” Skvernelis said.
According to Skvernelis, he was instructed to go into hiding because of “an incident involving a flying object”.
He said he could not disclose further details.
“The important thing is that nothing is flying anymore now,” Skvernelis said.
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, who was at the time in a meeting with journalists at the government building, was also taken to a shelter, according to a BNS reporter who attended the meeting.
President Gitanas Nausėda is currently on a visit to Ireland.
The authorities have not yet confirmed whether the incident caused by the glider was the reason why the country’s leaders were taken to shelters.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
