By The Moscow Times | Created at 2026-09-16 14:40:16 | Updated at 2026-09-16 15:29:46
58 minutes ago
A drone that was shot down by a NATO fighter jet in the skies above Lithuania for the first time was likely directed at Ukraine and veered off course, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Wednesday.
“Most likely, it was a Russian drone intended for Ukraine that was diverted from its course by Ukrainian electronic warfare measures and entered our territory, where it was shot down,” Nausėda told reporters after a state defense council meeting.
Nausėda identified the drone as a Gerbera, a low-cost plywood long-range aerial drone used by Russia. Gerberas are often employed as decoys to overwhelm air defenses, but they can also carry explosives.
An Italian fighter jet that is part of NATO’s Baltic air policing mission intercepted the unmanned aircraft over central Lithuania early Tuesday.
Russia has not commented on the incident.
Suspected Russian drones have previously been shot down over Poland, Romania, Latvia and Estonia, all of which are NATO and EU members.
Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT, citing government officials, reported that the drone entered the country from Belarus and crossed 100 kilometers (62 miles) of territory before it was shot down.
Belarus is not formally involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine, but it has allowed Russian forces to use its territory as a staging ground for military operations.
Nausėda said the Lithuanian army is analyzing the drone’s electronics to determine its targeting. He said Lithuania needs to have the means to intercept drones, but questioned the efficiency of using fighter jets to do so.
The president also said that the security situation in Lithuania and across NATO countries more broadly remains unchanged, but warned that “incidents, provocation, sabotage acts, including false-flag operations” are still possible.
Reuters contributed reporting.
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