Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginene said that Russia is not intentionally redirecting Ukrainian drones to the Baltic countries. Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiga reported this information, citing Ukrainian intelligence.
Inga Ruginene's statement is reported by the Lithuanian publication Delfi.
According to the Prime Minister, the drone that flew into Lithuania was an unintentional incident.
“I really have to refute this information. To date, with the exception of one drone that went off course, Lithuania has not recorded a single drone crossing Lithuanian territory. We are almost certain that this is a Ukrainian drone that went off course, more than we can imagine,” Ruginene said.
She called the Ukrainian intelligence information “gossip” and said that only Lithuanian intelligence should be listened to on this issue. “The drone went off course as a result of an unintentional incident, and this information is correct,” the prime minister said.
On March 31, during a press conference with European Union High Representative Kaia Kallas, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated that Ukrainian intelligence data indicates that the drone incidents in the Baltic countries over the past few days were deliberately caused by Russia.
Andriy Sybiga stressed that Ukraine did not direct drones at Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. “Moreover, I can confidently state that in all these cases, these were completely deliberate and purposeful actions by Russia,” Sybiga stressed.
Drones in the Baltics
On March 23, a drone flew into Lithuania, probably from Belarus, and exploded on Lake Lavysas, more than 20 km from the border. Lithuanian radars did not detect it.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense suggested that it was a Ukrainian drone that was flying to attack targets in the Russian Federation and deviated from its course under the influence of electronic warfare.
Later, the Lithuanian Prime Minister confirmed that it was a Ukrainian drone, apparently one of those that flew to attack Primorsk near St. Petersburg.
On March 25, an unidentified drone that had flown in from Russia crashed and exploded in Latvia. It was discovered by the Latvian military. Meanwhile, in Estonia, on the night of March 25, a drone that was knocked off course crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Auvere.