Local residents in Lithuania spotted an unidentified drone that entered the country’s airspace from Belarus on Monday morning, according to Lithuanian police.
Citing eyewitness accounts, public broadcaster LRT reported that the drone was seen flying at an altitude of about 200 meters (about 650 feet), with the last sighting near Vilnius. “All police forces have been mobilized and all agencies alerted,” said Darius Buta, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center.
Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told LRT that authorities were working to identify the drone. She noted that weather conditions were “favorable for weather balloons,” which are sometimes used by smugglers.
Footage from witnesses showed a drone resembling the Shahed models used by the Russian military in its invasion of Ukraine.
According to social media posts reviewed by LRT, the drone was spotted shortly before 5:00 a.m., around the same time Ukrainian Air Force reports indicated Russian drone attacks were underway in parts of Ukraine.