Lithuanian PM denies government involvement in Belarus drone incident

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said she has no information regarding the drone incident that Belarus claims violated its airspace.

In the Seimas, she told journalists that Lithuania had no involvement in the incident and that she had received no information suggesting otherwise, Caliber.Az reports, citing LRT.

According to Belarusian authorities, the drone flew from the Lazdijai area and crashed near Grodno at the end of November.

Darius Buta, a representative of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, declined to comment on whether Belarusian airspace was actually violated, but noted that “this is not the first time the Belarusian regime invents various stories and levels accusations against Western countries and Lithuania.”

The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that it learned of the summons of its diplomat only through reports published in open sources.

Belarus says it has seen a growing wave of drone incursions and airspace violations this year.

In the most recent case, Belarus claims a drone launched from Lithuania’s Lazdijai district entered its airspace on November 30, crashed in the city of Grodno, and dropped what the Belarusian Interior Ministry calls “extremist materials.”

Minsk insists the incident is a “deliberate provocation” — not only against Belarus but also, according to its Foreign Ministry, against a third country (Poland), since it claims the drone’s flight plan had it pass through Belarus into Poland before returning to Lithuania.

Belarus demands that Lithuania provide a full explanation: identify the operator, clarify the purpose of the drone launch, conduct a proper investigation, and hold the responsible parties accountable — warning that Minsk reserves the right to “take all necessary measures” to defend its sovereignty and security.

By Jeyhun Aghazada