EU urges to create 'drone wall' as Russian drone crashes in Lithuania
Photo: EU commissioner urges Lithuania to create a "drone wall" (Getty Images)
EU Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius called on Lithuania and neighboring countries to create a "drone wall" and begin mass production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to LRT.lt.
"This incident (the crash of the Russian Gerbera drone in Lithuania – ed.) shows that the possibility of a drone entering Lithuanian territory is real,” Kubilius said.
He also noted that he has consistently urged Lithuania and the countries in the region to develop a so-called Eastern Border Security Plan – a plan for physical defense, primarily by setting up physical barriers on the ground.
"In my view, the creation of a drone wall must be included in such a plan," the commissioner added.
According to Kubilius, there are currently not many signs that Lithuania or the Baltic states are ready to repel potential drone attacks from Russia.
"It’s not just about producing or stockpiling drones today. We need trained teams ready to rapidly manufacture the necessary number of drones at a moment’s notice, tailored to the needs of a drone wall," the Lithuanian EU Commissioner emphasized.
Background
On July 10, fighter jets were scrambled in Lithuania due to an unidentified drone from Belarus. Because of the threat, Lithuanian officials took shelter. The unknown drone crashed about one kilometer from the Belarusian border, near the closed Šumskas border checkpoint.
Initially, there were suspicions that the drone was a Shahed, but later the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported that border guards at the Kena checkpoint had observed a UAV resembling an aircraft.
Later, Lithuanian Minister of Defense, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, confirmed that the drone was a Russian Gerbera – a decoy drone without a warhead, designed to distract air defense systems. How it managed to reach Lithuanian territory via Ukraine and Belarus is still unclear.
Authorities later explained that the drone was not shot down by Lithuanian air defense because, during peacetime, aerial targets are only neutralized in exceptional cases, and only with authorization from the defense minister.
