The key facts

  • The Lithuanian Prime Minister said the exploded drone was Ukrainian and arrived from the direction of Poland
  • In parallel, Kyiv suggested the drone may have gone off course due to Russian electronic warfare means
  • The exact cause of the fall has not been established; previously drones arrived from the direction of Belarus

Lithuanian PM confirmed the drone's Ukrainian origin

According to Lithuanian radio and television company LRT, the Prime Minister of Lithuania spoke on October 19 in Vilnius after a meeting of the national security commission. He stated that the wreckage found, the appeal from the Ukrainian side, and data showing that contact with one of the drones was lost during the incident confirm the device belonged to Ukraine. 'It is possible that this very drone exploded on the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. There is no doubt that it carried explosives,' the source quotes his words.

The flight route changed

The Prime Minister noted that previously drones had entered the country from the direction of Belarus, but this time the device arrived on a trajectory from Poland. Fighter jets scrambled to intercept detected the moving object on radar, but due to unfavorable weather the pilots could not visually identify it.

Cause of the fall unknown

According to the Prime Minister, the exact cause of the drone's fall has not yet been established. Among the versions being considered are a technical malfunction, fuel exhaustion, or collision with the ground or trees.

Circumstances of the incident

On the morning of October 18, Lithuania and Latvia issued an air attack warning due to the situation with an unidentified object; allied NATO military aviation was also involved in the interception. The drone's wreckage was found in the village of Juodėnai in the Pasvalys district of Lithuania.

Kyiv's position

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed regret over the incident the same day. According to the ministry, during an operation against military targets on Russian territory, the drone may have changed direction under the influence of Russian electronic warfare systems. This version has not yet been officially declared a confirmed cause of the incident.