Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on Wednesday that Russia’s war in Ukraine is behind a series of drone crashes across the Baltic states over the past two days.
"It is all because of Russia's war – the war provoked by the aggressor Russia has brought us to this point where drones have fallen in the territories of the three Baltic states within 48 hours. It is clear that air defence is a challenge not only in Lithuania but across all of NATO," Kaunas said in a statement.
A Russian drone entered Latvian airspace early on Wednesday morning and exploded. The Latvian Defence Ministry told the LETA news agency that its air force detected a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle crossing the border from Russia. Early warning systems in the Kraslava municipality recorded a sound resembling an explosion.
Estonia also reported a drone entering from Russia, which reportedly struck a chimney at the Auvere power plant. The incident did not damage the electrical system, and no casualties were reported.
On Monday night, a drone crashed in Lithuania’s Varėna district, though it was not detected by military radars. Officials said it was a stray Ukrainian drone intended for an oil storage facility in Russia.
Drone incidents to continue until Ukraine war ends – FM
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that incidents related to drone crashes in the Baltic states will continue until Russia’s war in Ukraine ends.
"Incidents related to military actions approaching the NATO border have become more frequent, and we will see an increasing number of them. [....] The main reason for this is Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, and that must end first for all this to stop in our region," Budrys told reporters on Wednesday.
"All NATO countries near the conflict zone are affected. This is why we are discussing an enhanced NATO presence in our region with air defence measures, as well as strengthening our own airspace. [...] From my side, it is important to maintain political attention on this ongoing conflict, which is the most significant in Europe," he said.
He added that Lithuania is seeking to have the Eastern Guard operation extended and expanded.
"I do not want the impression to be created that everyone else has everything sorted and everything works everywhere, except in Lithuania. Ukrainian drones are flying over Russian territory – these are two warring states that are unable to protect their own airspace. Yes, there are certain risks that something will veer off course and so on," Budrys said.
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