Lithuanian military chief wants to shoot down drones over Belarus
Raimundas Vaikšnoras, Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces (kariuomene.lt)
Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Raimundas Vaikšnoras said he would like to shoot down stray drones while they are still over Belarus, but he does not have such an option, according to LRT.
The general noted that due to the lack of authority to shoot down disoriented drones over Belarus, Lithuania will enhance its capabilities for drone detection and identification in order to quickly assess whether a threat exists.
Lithuania also aims to expand its ability to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles using electronic or kinetic means.
For her part, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė stated that the country is currently learning as quickly as possible from its neighbors and from Ukraine how to counter drones.
"We are doing everything possible: improving our airspace surveillance system, especially when it comes to detecting low-flying objects in difficult weather conditions. We are purchasing specialized radars and plan to increase their number and expand procurement," she added.
She also noted that the main issue is that Lithuania cannot shoot down such drones.
"We have to clearly agree on the level of risk we are taking by destroying objects that may not pose a real threat. That is, we must assess the level of threat coming from the object and the potential consequences of destroying it, especially if our management of civilian airspace is not fully regulated," the minister clarified.
Drone over Lithuania
On the morning of Monday, July 28, an unidentified drone was spotted over Lithuania. It entered Lithuanian airspace from the direction of Belarus. Visually, the drone resembled a Shahed-type UAV.
The drone flew near Vilnius. Notably, this occurred during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine, in which the enemy launched 324 strike drones.
