Drone crashes in northern Lithuania, debris damages a civilian car

A drone crashed in northern Lithuania's Pasvalys district, near the Latvian border, on the morning of 18 October after entering the country's airspace from Poland. Debris from it damaged a civilian car, but no one was injured. The incident shows that drone threats in Lithuania can affect civilian property, not only airspace security.

What officials said

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told reporters that, according to preliminary information, the object flew into Lithuania from Poland. He said he had contacted his Polish counterpart and asked Poland to join the investigation so both sides could examine the incident together.

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Centre, told broadcaster LRT that the object was most likely a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle. In his account, it may have strayed into the country while Kyiv was carrying out a strike on the St Petersburg region.

Damage and investigation

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said a driver travelling from Biržai to Pasvalys heard an explosion. Debris damaged the doors of his private car. The premier stressed that this was initial information from a person who was at the scene.

Kaunas said the debris had been found, the area was cordoned off and police were gathering information. Preliminary reports place the wreckage in the village of Juodžionys in the Pasvalys district.

Fighters could not see the object

The defence minister said fighter jets were scrambled once the object was spotted, but pilots could not see it because of poor weather. The Pasvalys district borders Latvia's Bauska municipality.