Russia deliberately redirects Ukrainian drones to Baltic States - Lithuanian Foreign Minister

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that rfussia is deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones into the airspace of the Baltic states.

He wrote about this on social media on May 19.

"Russia is deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones into the airspace of the Baltic states while simultaneously conducting smear campaigns against Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia," the post reads.

Budrys called this an “obvious act of desperation,” an attempt to sow chaos and divert attention from the fact that Ukraine is delivering powerful blows to the russian war machine.

"My message to the Kremlin: nice try. Another failure. NATO stands united. We are ready to defend every inch of Alliance territory—in the air, on land, and at sea," he concluded.

As a reminder, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced on May 19 that Baltic air defense had shot down a drone that entered Estonian airspace for the first time. It is likely a drone of Ukrainian origin.

Meanwhile, on May 20, an air raid alert was declared in some regions of Lithuania following the detection of a drone near the country’s border; aerial patrols are underway. The UAV was likely approaching from Belarus.

Due to the air raid alert in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, the country’s leaders—President Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, and members of the Seimas—were evacuated to shelters.