The president’s spokesperson made these remarks following an emergency meeting between Nausėda and Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas.
„A meeting with the Minister of National Defence has just taken place at the president’s initiative. One issue was discussed—a downed drone spotted yesterday in the Utena district. Questions were raised as to whether everything had been handled properly. The president emphasised that anti-drone defence must be one of the state’s top priorities in the near future. If additional funds are needed, if additional attention is needed, that attention will certainly be provided,“ stated Matulionis.
Mindaugas Puskunigis, deputy chief of the Utena County Police Headquarters, reported on Monday that a resident mowing grass found the drone that had crashed in the village of Samanė on Sunday.
Susiję straipsniai
During the meeting, the head of state also assigned a task to Minister Kaunas.
„The President emphasised that the early warning system is not functioning properly. We asked the minister to take a close look and develop an algorithm that would be effective in the event of any drone incursion,“ Matulionis reported.
According to him, the Ministry of National Defence (MND) has not yet requested assistance with deploying anti-drone systems, as everything is proceeding according to plan. Some new ideas are reportedly welcome, but the President’s Office is urging the ministry to implement them more quickly.
Neither the Office of the President nor the ministry itself is satisfied with the pace of acquiring new systems.
„There are also new proposals that we found interesting, especially regarding closer cooperation with Ukraine, which has truly extensive experience in combating drones,“ stated the president’s senior advisor.
According to him, the minister is currently in contact with the Ukrainians, and a group of experts will be sent from Ukraine to Lithuania in the near future.
Kaunas: A clear plan has been prepared
Kaunas says that some of the short-range radars already in Lithuania will be integrated into the overall air defence system within the next couple of months. According to him, a clear plan has been prepared to strengthen air defence systems.
„I can assure you that the Air Force has provided information on when the short-range radars already in Lithuania will finally be integrated,“ said the minister of National Defence.
„Within a couple of months, since the military will be doing this practically on its own, we will avoid public procurement and lengthy procedures and will be able to ensure faster integration of the radars,“ assured Kaunas.
The minister emphasised that there is a „clear plan“ for integrating these radars.
„There is a clear plan—where, on which sites, when they will be deployed, integrated into the overall system, and when our detection capabilities will be even stronger than they are now,“ he stated.
The National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) reported on Sunday evening that a crashed and broken drone, possibly military in nature, had been found in a field in the village of Samanė, Utena District. The report of the crashed drone was received on Sunday at 7:14 p.m.
The NCC notes that, according to information from the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the radars did not detect the drone on Sunday.
Although there is no definitive confirmation yet, the head of the NCC stated that it is most likely a Ukrainian drone that crashed on Lithuanian territory.