Lithuanian minister: Baltic airspace incursions have stopped as Ukraine shifts strikes deeper into Russia
Lithuania's Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said airspace violations in the Baltic states have ceased as Ukraine now targets locations farther inside Russia. He also said drones previously downed in Lithuania were Ukrainian aircraft affected by Russian electronic warfare.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on Monday that recent airspace incursions into the Baltic states have stopped, linking this to Ukraine redirecting its strikes toward targets located farther inside Russia, away from the region's borders.
Speaking to LRT RADIO, Kaunas said that while Ukraine has the right to defend itself and is doing so effectively, safeguarding Lithuania's airspace and the safety of its citizens remains the top priority.
Drones traced to Ukraine
Kaunas said drones that had previously crashed in Lithuanian territory turned out to be Ukrainian aircraft that had been affected by Russian electronic warfare systems. He cautioned that current evidence does not rule out the possibility of Russia staging a false-flag incident in the future. He said the issue is being examined jointly with Ukrainian authorities to gather intelligence, as well as with NATO partners.
The minister's remarks follow reports last week from Lithuanian media that the country's military intelligence had received information suggesting Russia might target critical infrastructure in the Baltic region using captured Ukrainian drones, aiming to obscure the true origin of any attack.
Boosting surveillance capabilities
Kaunas said Lithuania is steadily improving its ability to monitor its airspace. The country already has radar systems, is rolling out acoustic sensors, and uses border surveillance cameras along with other detection tools, though these do not yet function as one unified network. Additional procurement is planned for autumn, an air defence regiment is being formed, and cooperation with South Korea is under consideration to acquire needed systems faster. Lithuania is also partnering with local businesses to build an artificial intelligence-based integrated detection system that could eventually be linked to kinetic defence capabilities.
In April, Russia accused the Baltic states of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to launch strikes against Russian territory; Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia jointly rejected the claims as disinformation. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine in recent months, including ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, while Ukraine has reported shortages of air defence equipment.
