Lithuanian PM: Stray crashed drone hailed from Ukraine
March 24, 2026
A military drone that crashed on a frozen lake in Lithuania hailed from Ukraine and was aimed at attacking Russian oil assets before going astray, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said on Tuesday.
The drone crashed near the border to Belarus the previous day, with the military first reporting that a suspected military drone had entered its airspace and crashed.
The incident came after the Baltic state last year asked NATO for more air defenses after military drones from Russian ally Belarus landed on its territory twice in July 2025. Earlier this month, Lithuanian intelligence reported that it believed both drones entered the country by mistake.
Where did the drone crash, and what was it meant to be doing?
The drone crashed onto a frozen lake roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border to Belarus. Nobody was injured in the incident.
It was part of a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Primorsk oil loading terminal, one of two major export facilities on Russia's Baltic Sea coast that were hit around the same time, the Lithuanian government said.
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas cited initial findings saying it was part of a swarm deployed to attack the Primorsk port, saying it was highly likely it was sent off course by Russian jamming.
Prime Minister Ruginiene nevertheless said that Moscow bore a share of the responsiblity.
"This is not a local incident, this is part of a wider security picture," she said. "Russian aggression against Ukraine creates additional risks for the whole region."
The 44-year-old was briefing reporters after a meeting of the National Security Commission on Tuesday. She said it could be said "with certainty" that the flying object was "a stray drone."
NATO member Lithuania — invaded, occupied and formally incorporated into the Soviet Union during the Second World War, subsequently maintaining this status throughout the Cold War — has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.
Edited by: Natalie Muller