Russia spreads fake story about 'Ukrainian drone' in Lithuania: Purpose revealed
Illustrative photo: Russia spreads a fake story about a "Ukrainian drone" in Lithuania (24tv)
Russia is spreading false information about an alleged "Ukrainian drone" on Lithuanian territory near the border with Belarus. As "evidence," they are showing a video of a drone with Ukrainian writing on its body, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation.
The Center for Countering Disinformation noted that it is impossible to determine the exact location of the footage, as the site is not confirmed by any landmarks. The video is edited, and there is no guarantee that the drone and the border sign were filmed at the same time.
The video shows a standard consumer-grade quadcopter, which can be purchased without restrictions, and anyone can add any markings to it and use it for staged footage.
The source of the fake story was an anonymous TikTok account showing signs of being a bot: besides the video of the "Ukrainian drone," it contains several other low-content clips, and the profile picture is duplicated across other bot accounts.
The video also tags Russian propagandist Aleksey Stefanov, a former RT correspondent in the Baltics who was expelled from Latvia in 2024.
The main goal of this disinformation is to create the impression of a "Ukrainian trace" in provocations that are actually carried out by Russia. In this way, Russia seeks to influence public opinion in European countries and discredit Ukraine.
The Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized that the release of this fake story is intended to divert attention from the real provocations that Russia itself carries out against European states.
"The publication of the video coincided with news that, in July, a Russian Gerbera drone launched from Belarus was recorded over Lithuanian territory as part of a targeted operation to test air defense systems and intimidate the local population," the Center’s statement said.
Drone incursion into Lithuania
The unmanned aerial vehicle, which came from Belarus on July 28, circled over Lithuania for some time before crashing. The military searched for it for almost a week and eventually found it at a training ground in Lithuania.
It was later revealed that the drone was a Russian Gerbera imitation, which resembles combat Shahed drones and is used to deceive air defense systems.
Recently, media outlets learned more details about the Russian drone’s incursion into Lithuania.
It turned out to be a deliberate operation. Russia aimed not only to test Lithuania’s air defense capabilities but also to exert psychological pressure, as the drone flew over Vilnius.
The drone was found to contain an explosive device, a modern onboard computer, and at least one SIM card.
