Lithuania is convening a national security commission following the crash of a drone near the border with Belarus

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has convened a meeting of the National Security Commission for March 24 in connection with the crash of a drone in the Varėna district. 

She announced this on Facebook.

The incident occurred at 3:04 a.m. on March 23 near the village of Lavisas, close to the border with Belarus. According to preliminary data from the Lithuanian military and eyewitness accounts, debris from an unidentified object fell onto the ice of a lake; however, there is currently no threat to the safety of the local population.

The country has activated the “Shield” plan, and an Air Force helicopter, police units, and the Fire Department have been dispatched to the scene. The National Crisis Management Center confirmed the discovery of the debris and has begun gathering details of the incident for presentation at the government level. The Lithuanian military has pledged to regularly inform the public about the results of the investigation and the nature of the device found.

Tensions at NATO’s borders are rising amid reports from Ukrainian intelligence regarding Russia’s plans to deploy four long-range drone control stations specifically on Belarusian territory. While Lithuania is investigating the drone’s origin, Ukraine presented a €5.4 billion strategy for protecting critical infrastructure in Brussels. At the same time, in the Persian Gulf, the UAE is forced to restore the operation of energy facilities following attacks by Iranian drones, which underscores the global nature of the threat posed by the use of unmanned systems against sovereign states.

Recently, Lithuanian border guards recorded another attempt to illegally transport excise goods across the border with Belarus using weather balloons. During operations in the Šalčininkai, Ignalina, and Varėna districts, balloons were discovered carrying a total of 13,500 packs of cigarettes.

On Tuesday, February 17, airspace over Vilnius Airport was temporarily restricted due to the detection of contraband balloons.

Earlier, the Polish military recorded objects approaching from the direction of Belarus that had entered the country’s airspace.