This incident was discussed on Wednesday at a joint meeting of the Seimas Committees on Foreign Affairs and on National Security and Defence.
„We discussed this during the meeting – intelligence officers have already provided a great deal of detail; the process is not yet complete, but it has, in fact, made significant progress overnight,“ Kaunas told journalists on Wednesday following the meeting of the Seimas’ Foreign Affairs and National Security and Defence Committees.
„Let’s wait for accurate information; let’s not speculate or create a threat out of thin air,“ the minister emphasised.
According to him, officers at the scene found the drone’s software; the information it contains is currently being analysed. However, the minister has not disclosed the size of the explosive device found in the drone.
„The software has been found, the components have been collected, and attempts are now being made to decode the information; we’ll have to see how successful the officers are in doing so,“ said Kaunas.
„This is sensitive information at the moment, so again, until there is a clear consensus on exactly how much we can say and how accurate the information is, perhaps we should wait and not speculate,“ he added.
The head of the Ministry of National Defence (MND) added that the investigation's conclusions should be known „in the coming days“.
Kasčiūnas: it is a Russian drone
For his part, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, a Conservative and Deputy Chair of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK), stated that the drone destroyed on Tuesday night was Russian.
„As this is their (the Ministry of National Defence – ELTA) information, I cannot say any more than the Minister has said, but I can only repeat once again that this is a Russian drone. I won’t specify the model, but the type is clear,“ the Conservative leader told journalists after the meeting.
However, according to official Ministry of National Defence data, the drone's origin is not yet known.
Kasčiūnas emphasised that the discovery of an explosive device does not necessarily mean that the drone was carrying out a sabotage operation.
„A drone carrying explosives – that much is clear. But that does not necessarily mean the drone was intended for some sabotage operation – it could have been carrying out a reconnaissance mission,“ the politician stressed.
Missile weapons were used to shoot down the drone
As reported, a probable air threat was declared on Tuesday night in Vilnius and Kaunas counties after a drone was spotted. It was later reported that the drone had been destroyed, and the probable air threat was lifted.
The drone was shot down by fighter jets from our Italian allies, which had taken off from the Šiauliai Air Base; missile armament was used to destroy it.
Although initial reports suggested the drone might have been neutralised in the Alytus district, near the village of Navasiolkai, the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) later clarified that it had been shot down near the village of Pratkūnai in the Kaišiadorys district.
According to preliminary data, the drone entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus.
On Tuesday evening, the Minister of National Defence, Robertas Kaunas, confirmed that the downed drone was carrying an explosive device. It had been neutralised.