Lithuania hands in protest note to Belarus over drone incursion

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has lodged a formal protest with Belarus after a Russian-made drone entered its airspace last week and crashed near the border.

In a statement published on Facebook, the ministry said a “strong protest was expressed over the unlawful entry of a Russian-made Gerbera multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on July 10 this year, Caliber.Az reports.

The drone, which was unarmed, crashed approximately one kilometre from the border near the closed Šumskas checkpoint, after spending about three minutes in Lithuanian airspace.

The protest note was handed to the Belarusian chargé d’affaires in Vilnius on July 16. Lithuanian authorities have demanded that Belarus “provide an explanation for this incident as soon as possible and take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.”

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, speaking to LRT TV, underscored the seriousness of the incident.

“We received an explanation that they will send something to the capital. I don’t know what that will be, but our message is that this is serious,” he said.

Budrys suggested the drone’s incursion was likely related to the ongoing war in Ukraine and Kyiv’s use of anti-drone systems.

“Yes, this is likely linked to an attack on Ukraine, when one of the drones used in a swarm during the attack flew as far as our territory,” he said.

“What’s important is that this time it was a decoy. Next time, it might not be. That’s why the situation is serious – and it was discussed last week by the National Security Commission,” he added.

According to the foreign minister, electronic warfare systems used by Ukraine to divert incoming Russian drones sometimes push them into Belarusian territory, and “some also reach our borders due to the intensity of fighting.”

“For our part, we need to strengthen our anti-drone capabilities and cooperate with the Ukrainians,” Budrys emphasized, adding that Belarus is responsible for failing to control drones entering its airspace and crossing into Lithuania.

Authorities initially suspected the aircraft was a Shahed drone, the type widely deployed by Russia in Ukraine. However, Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė later clarified on LRT RADIO that it was a Russian-made Gerbera drone.

Arūnas Kumpis, a Lithuanian volunteer who fought in Ukraine, told LRT that the Gerbera model was originally developed as a decoy to resemble Shahed drones, though it can also be used for attacks and electronic warfare purposes.

Šakalienė confirmed last week that there is no evidence suggesting the drone was intentionally directed into Lithuanian territory.

By Sabina Mammadli