Defense Minister Lithuania Roberts Kaunas said on Thursday that Lithuanian intelligence services believe Russia is considering using captured Ukrainian drones for provocations against the Baltic region.
Leaders of Poland and the three Baltic states have warned that Russia is considering an attack or sabotage against their countries to divert attention from the war in Ukraine and reduce support for Kyiv.
“This is an operation under a false flag, using a fake Ukrainian drone… One of the goals is to make NATO hesitate and reduce support for Ukraine. I can assure you that this will not happen,” said Kaunas.
Warnings of attacks on infrastructure
President Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda said in July that intelligence indicates Russia’s intentions to attack infrastructure, and security has been strengthened around energy and transport facilities to prevent this. At the time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this “scare tactics” aimed at justifying the buildup of military presence against Russia.
Poland and the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are part of the NATO military alliance and border Russia, strongly support Kyiv and accuse Moscow of using threatening rhetoric to intimidate them.
Incidents with drones and mutual accusations
Military drones flying from Ukraine to attack targets in Russia have already entered the airspace of Finland and the Baltic countries in recent months. Kyiv claims this is due to Russia’s use of electronic warfare equipment that jams or distorts signals.
Moscow has also claimed that the Baltic countries allow Ukraine to use their airspace to strike Russia. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine reject these accusations.
