After a Russian-made drone flew into the Lithuanian territory from Belarus last week, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius is calling on Lithuania and neighbouring countries to build a regional “drone wall” and prepare for mass production of unmanned aerial systems.
“This incident shows that the possibility of a drone entering Lithuanian territory is real,” Kubilius said Monday on the LRT TV programme Dienos tema. “Whether Lithuania is ready to defend itself against such drones, and whether it has the necessary capabilities, remains an unanswered question.”
Kubilius urged regional governments developing physical defences along the EU’s eastern frontier to also include drone-based technologies in their plans.
“I continue to call on Lithuania and countries in the region that are working on the so-called Eastern Border Security Plan to go beyond physical barriers,” he said. “In my view, the creation of a drone wall must be included in such a plan.”
In May 2023, then–Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė announced that Baltic and regional countries had agreed to develop a “drone wall” to enhance border surveillance using UAVs and anti-drone systems. These defences are aimed at preventing smuggling and provocations from hostile states.
However, in March, Lithuania and Estonia were denied European Union funding for the initiative.
According to Kubilius, there is little evidence that Lithuania and its Baltic neighbours are prepared to counter drone incursions from Russia.
“It’s not just about producing or stockpiling drones today,” Kubilius said. “We need trained teams ready to rapidly manufacture the necessary number of drones at a moment’s notice, tailored to the needs of a drone wall.”
He added that Lithuania and the Baltic states should develop a unified concept not only for border fences, but also for building technological defences, including mass drone production capabilities.
Last Thursday, Lithuanian border officials observed an unidentified aerial object entering the country from Belarus. According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the drone remained airborne for about three minutes before crashing near the closed Šumskas border checkpoint, roughly one kilometre from the Belarusian border.
Initial suspicions suggested the drone may have been a Shahed – a type used by Russia in its war against Ukraine – but the State Border Guard Service later said that early reports indicated the object resembled a homemade UAV. It was tracked by officers at the Kena border post and crashed on its own shortly afterward.
Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė later confirmed it was a Russian-made Gerbera drone. These drones are used as decoys to mimic Shahed-type strike drones in order to overburden air defence systems. It is not clear if the drone entered Lithuania by mistake.
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