Lithuania says drone shot down in its airspace was Russian

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said a drone shot down in Lithuanian airspace this week was Russian, but that its intended target was Ukraine.

According to the minister, the unmanned aerial vehicle deviated from its original route after Ukraine used electronic warfare systems against it and subsequently entered Lithuania via Belarus.

“I wanted to wait for the data from our intelligence services to know the situation for sure. In this case, I can confirm that it is a Russian drone, but its target was not us, its target was Ukraine,” Kaunas said.

“Ukraine affected the drone with electronic warfare systems – the drone deviated from its original route, veered off course and flew to us via Belarus,” the minister added.

By Tamilla Hasanova