Lithuania Says Downed Drone Was Russian Gerbera

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed a Russian Gerbera drone entered the country’s airspace from Belarus before NATO fighter jets shot it down on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The drone was carrying an explosive device and was likely intended for an attack on Ukraine, Nausėda told reporters on Wednesday, after a State Defense Council meeting. It’s possible that the drone was diverted from its route by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Italian fighter jets were deployed from the Šiauliai Air Base and intercepted the aircraft, after authorities declared a possible air threat in the Vilnius and Kaunas counties. “According to the information now available, it was a Gerbera-type drone. The electronic component is still being analyzed,” Nausėda said, according to Lithuanian news outlet Delfi. “Much more data will become available about where it came from, how and under what circumstances,” he added. Drone entered from Belarus Despite portraying itself as neutral in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Belarus continues supplying Russia with critical weapon-making components and allowing Russian forces to use its territory to launch strikes on Ukraine. The country’s National Crisis Management Center initially reported that the aircraft may have been neutralized near the village of Navasėlkai in the Alytus district, but later said it was shot down near Pratkūnai, a village in the Kaišiadorys district. Other Topics of Interest Russian Strikes Kill 6, Wound At Least 17 Across Ukraine At least two children were injured as Russian forces launched a sweeping barrage of strikes across Ukraine. Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed that the drone was carrying an explosive device, which was subsequently neutralized. Nausėda said similar events could occur again, given Lithuania’s location near Belarus and the proximity of Vilnius to the border. “The most important thing is that we can detect them in time, preferably already over the territory of neighboring countries, so that we can respond more quickly, because we really have very little time to prepare,” he said, adding that Lithuania must also develop alternative ways to neutralize drones instead of exclusively relying on missiles. Lithuania’s air defense capabilities The president concluded that Lithuania must broaden its air-defense capacity, including through short-range drone interceptors and other alternative systems. “My goal and my question to the Ministry of Defense is: how quickly will we move forward in introducing other, alternative means of engagement?” Nausėda said. Although Lithuania had already strengthened its integrated air-defense systems, the president acknowledged that its operation still involved mistakes. Authorities must balance the need to warn the public quickly with the requirement to provide reliable information. “Only verified information should be published – information for which there would be no need later to apologize or make corrections,” he said. “Yes, incidents still happen that sometimes cause anger, sometimes a smile, like that unfortunate case involving birds,” he added. Just two days prior to the drone incident, on Sept. 13, a NATO fighter jet was scrambled and a Vilnius Airport closed due to a suspicious object in the air. The object turned out to be a flock of birds. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.