Lithuania has intensified its air defence measures and is continuing the search for an unidentified drone believed to have entered the country’s airspace from Belarus on Monday, amid growing concerns about threats from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Speaking to reporters at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras said the Lithuanian Armed Forces had redeployed a unit of its air defence battalion closer to the Belarusian border.
"Air defence vigilance has been increased and a unit of the air defence battalion has been redeployed closer to the border, with the ability to detect with combined measures and, if necessary, to destroy," the general told reporters at the Presidential Palace following a meeting convened by President Gitanas Nausėda to address the threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles from hostile states.
At the same time, Vaikšnoras confirmed that Lithuania’s top priority remains locating the unidentified drone that may have crossed the border early Monday morning.
"We want to find it as soon as possible, but of course, there's a reasonable timeframe," he said. "Other scenarios are being considered, but right now our focus is on locating it."
Residents in central Lithuania alerted authorities after being woken by noise in the early hours of Monday. The military had already been tracking an object approaching from Belarus, though it remains unclear whether it was the same object spotted by the public.
"The search area is being narrowed, but it's still hard to say – this is only the second day we've been looking for the object," said Vaikšnoras, stressing that identifying the drone is critical. "We don't know what we're dealing with – whether it's dangerous or not. It's about protecting people's health and lives."
He also urged the public not to engage with the object themselves, but to report any sightings immediately.
Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told reporters that current surveillance systems were not equipped to effectively detect such low-flying, manoeuvrable UAVs, particularly in difficult weather conditions.
"There is a lack of radars capable of detecting small, manoeuvring targets in difficult meteorological conditions," she said.
In response, the Defence Ministry has proposed a series of measures, including the acquisition of new radar systems, the fast-tracking of existing procurement programmes, and the development of more flexible airspace management to enable quicker threat response.
"The aim is also to have a flexible airspace management, which would allow taking the necessary measures to neutralise threats in the airspace more quickly," Šakalienė said.
The ministry is also drafting legislation to establish restricted air corridors in times of threat, allowing NATO fighter jets to be directed toward targets without endangering civilian infrastructure.
Additional proposals include the deployment of mobile units capable of jamming GPS and other navigation signals, as well as mobile, rapidly deployable air defence systems to intercept threats at an early stage.
"Particular attention will be paid to developing both drone capabilities and anti-drone and electronic warfare technologies, with a strong focus on innovation," the ministry said.
To date, approximately €80 million has been invested in integrating various drone systems into the Lithuanian Armed Forces. That figure is expected to rise to €300 million by 2030. Much of the new equipment is set to arrive in the near future.
Efforts are also under way to improve coordination between military and civilian authorities, alongside plans to introduce an automated public warning system.
"As far as the short-term response is concerned, we will certainly not be firing left and right, but we will definitely take additional actions as the situation intensifies," Šakalienė said.
Monday’s incident marks the second time this month that an unidentified drone has entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus.
On July 10, an object initially believed to be a Shahed-type drone – commonly used by Russia – crossed the border and crashed three minutes later. It was later identified as a Russian-made Gerbera drone, designed to imitate the Shahed and deceive Lithuanian air defences.
The latest incident, which occurred on July 28, involves an unidentified drone that remains at large. The search operation is still ongoing.
Updated: changed the title, included information on search efforts.
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