Drone possibly thrown off course by Ukraine’s air defenses, says Lithuania
In an update on the unidentified drone that entered Lithuania from Belarus, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said the object was initially detected by the Lithuanian Air Force while it was still in Belarusian airspace. The information was then relayed to the NATO Joint Air Operations Center.
“So far, the most likely version is that the aircraft was disoriented by Ukrainian air defenses, but all possible scenarios will be investigated,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces said.
Despite the early detection, local residents were the first to report on the drone after it crossed into Lithuanian airspace. The Lithuanian National Crisis Management Center confirmed to local media that authorities were alerted by civilians who both saw and heard the aircraft.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces added that soldiers, along with officials from other national agencies, are continuing the search for the drone. Once located, demining specialists will secure the area before any further investigation begins.
Lithuanian authorities are investigating reports of an unknown drone that entered the country from Belarus on the morning of July 28, 2025.
Local residents in certain areas received phone alerts warning them about the aircraft, which was referred to as an ” unidentified type of unmanned aircraft”.
“The police reported the sighting of an unidentified type of unmanned aircraft that entered Lithuanian territory from Belarus on the morning of July 28, 2025,” the alert read.
Based on early reports, a few residents mentioned spotting a drone flying at about 200 meters high. The drone was last observed close to the capital, Vilnius.
“All emergency services have been alerted, and police forces have been fully mobilized,” Darius Buta, a spokesperson for the National Crisis Management Center, said to the country’s national broadcaster LRT. “We urge anyone who spots the drone not to approach it under any circumstances and to immediately call the emergency number.”
The drone’s type and origin are still unknown. Buta stated that officials are currently looking for the object and have not dismissed the chance that it might have already touched down.
“There is no verified information at this stage about the level of threat the drone may pose,” he told LRT, adding that all relevant agencies continue to work on the incident.
Locals spotted the drone first
Local residents shared on social media that they saw a drone entering Lithuania just before 5:00 local time.
Russian Gerbara drone over Lithuania near the city of Vilnius pic.twitter.com/MxquJjAf2T
— VolgaLad (@cym27s) July 28, 2025
Haroldas Mackevičius, a local public figure active on social media, mentioned in a Facebook post that the drone “flew over [his] house at 4:56 local time.”
“The noise lasted for 5–6 seconds, and it moved quickly. From the sound, it seemed to be flying low,” Mackevičius wrote.
Footage shared on social media appears to show a drone resembling the one involved in a previous incursion, namely a flying wing design powered by a pusher propeller. It is similar in appearance to the Iranian-designed Shahed loitering munition widely used by Russia to strike Ukrainian cities.
Second such incident in July 2025
Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė informed LRT Radio that, as Belarus gets ready for the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise ‘Zapad 2025’, the chances of incidents, including accidental ones, are rising.
This is the second incident of this kind this month. On July 10, 2025, authorities in Lithuania reported a suspicious homemade aircraft that looked like a Shahed drone had entered Lithuania from Belarus.
However, it was later revealed that the drone was actually a Russian-made ‘Gerbera’, which is visually similar to the ‘Shahed’ and is designed to trick air defenses.