Lithuanian president says drone incursions may be deliberate Kremlin intimidation of Ukraine's backers
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda suggested in an interview with LRT that drones entering the Baltic countries may be intentionally allowed to deviate from their course as part of a Kremlin effort to punish states that support Ukraine, without triggering a direct confrontation with NATO. His remarks follow the first-ever shootdown of a drone over Lithuanian airspace by NATO patrol jets on the night of September 15.
Key points
- NATO patrol mission fighter jets shot down an unidentified drone over Lithuania on the night of September 15 — the first such intercept over the country.
- The drone entered from Belarus; an explosive device found at the crash site was neutralized by sappers.
- Lithuania's Foreign Ministry summoned a Belarusian representative on September 16 and delivered a note of protest over the border and airspace violation.
- President Gitanas Nausėda told LRT that drones entering Baltic countries may be intentionally allowed to stray off course.
- Nauseda said the incidents are an attempt by the Kremlin to punish countries that support Ukraine.
- He suggested Russia is targeting Ukraine's strongest supporters while avoiding direct confrontation with NATO, a course Moscow is likely not ready for at this stage.
Why it matters
Nauseda's framing places the growing pattern of drone incidents in Europe in a political context, portraying them as deliberate Kremlin intimidation of Ukraine's strongest supporters rather than accidental violations. The September 15 shootdown marked the first time NATO patrol jets engaged a drone over Lithuanian airspace, raising the operational stakes for the Baltic states and for NATO's air-policing mission in the region.
What happened
In an interview with Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, reported by European Pravda, President Gitanas Nausėda said drones entering Lithuania or other Baltic countries may be intentionally allowed to deviate from their intended path. He described the incidents as part of a Kremlin effort to punish countries that support Ukraine, arguing that Russia is targeting Ukraine's strongest backers while avoiding a direct confrontation with NATO — one Moscow is likely not ready or willing to undertake at this stage. Nausėda added that allowing drones to drift into Baltic or Polish territory could be a deliberate tactic to keep the public on edge and that Russia may orchestrate such incidents through various, often covert, means.
His comments came a day after NATO patrol mission fighter jets, for the first time, shot down an unidentified drone over Lithuanian airspace on the night of September 15. The drone had entered from Belarus, and an explosive device discovered at the crash site was neutralized by sappers. On September 16, Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a Belarusian representative and handed over a note of protest over the violation of Lithuania's state border and airspace.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets, including Ukrainska Pravda, Yevropeiska Pravda and Suspilne, led with Nausėda's interpretation that Russia is intentionally letting drones stray into Baltic territory as punishment for those countries' support of Ukraine. That framing centers the story on the link between Russian drone activity in Europe and backing for Kyiv.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ in how they characterize Nausėda's assessment. One framing, drawing on his comment that the incidents are not necessarily a direct Russian attack on NATO, emphasizes restraint; broader coverage highlights his assertion that Russia is deliberately targeting Ukraine's supporters. The two are not contradictory in his remarks, but outlets foregrounded different parts of his statement.
Background
NATO fighter jets shot down an unidentified drone over Lithuania during the night of September 15, after it entered from Belarus. An explosive device found at the crash site was neutralized by sappers. On September 16, Lithuania's Foreign Ministry summoned a Belarusian representative and delivered a note of protest. Nausėda made his comments in an interview with LRT, as reported by European Pravda.