Lithuania’s police chief said Thursday that residents have become increasingly sensitive to drone activity following recent Russian drone incursions into the country and other parts of Europe.
“Every drone owner can fly their drone if it’s not in a restricted zone. But we immediately receive a series of calls from people who see drones in the air and react quite sensitively,” Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas told LRT RADIO.
He said the calls create an additional burden for officers, even though most reported cases involve legal flights. Authorities are exploring ways to track all registered drones on digital maps, Paulauskas said, so police can avoid unnecessary deployments when no threat is present.
This summer, two Russian Gerbera drones crossed into Lithuanian airspace, one of them carrying explosives, according to officials. Drones have also been spotted near Vilnius Airport, temporarily disrupting flights.
In September, Poland reported that about 20 Russian drones violated its airspace.
Following the incidents, NATO announced it would strengthen defences on its eastern flank to counter Moscow’s threat and launched Operation Eastern Sentry.
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