Ukraine must promptly inform the Baltic states if drones veer off course near their territory, Lithuania’s deputy defence minister said Tuesday, following a series of recent incidents involving unmanned aircraft in the region.
“One of the key messages is that the Ukrainians must share information if they see, track and know that a drone is straying,” Deputy Defence Minister Tomas Godliauskas told reporters. “At the agency level, such information must flow naturally and states must be informed.”
His comments come amid growing concern in the Baltic region after multiple drones entered or approached their airspace in recent days.
Godliauskas said Lithuania must also strengthen its own defences, drawing lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience. “It is in our own interest to have a sustainable and effective air defence system, taking as many lessons and best practices as possible from Ukraine’s fight against drones,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday, Asta Skaisgirytė, chief foreign policy adviser to President Gitanas Nausėda, said discussions are underway with Kyiv on establishing a mechanism to warn Baltic states about drones expected to fly near their borders.
Godliauskas added that Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas raised the issue during a visit to Ukraine last week, where information-sharing and air defence cooperation were discussed with Ukrainian officials.
“At the political level, we have repeatedly discussed not only Ukraine’s air defence but also this emerging issue and the experience from Ukraine. The sharing of lessons learned has been ongoing for four years,” he said.
The comments follow a string of incidents across the region. Overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the Estonian Defence Forces issued an air alert after detecting aerial activity outside national airspace that could pose a threat. Authorities later reported that drone parts were found in Tartu County.
In Latvia, the Latvian National Armed Forces said a drone approached the country’s airspace Monday evening before moving away.
Last week, several drones entered Baltic airspace and exploded. Officials believe they were Ukrainian drones targeting sites in Russia that had strayed off course.
In Lithuania, a drone crashed on the frozen Lake Lavysas in the Varėna district near the Belarusian border. The presidential office said Monday that Ukraine had expressed regret over the incident.
Baltic officials have linked the drones to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and warned that similar incidents could occur again.
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