Russian drones were flying to attack Ukraine, but due to electronic warfare, they ended up in Lithuania, says the army commander
Kyiv • UNN
The Lithuanian military said that the Gerbera drones were heading toward a Ukrainian city but changed course because of Ukrainian electronic warfare. Lithuania is strengthening its air defense.
The Russian "Gerbera" drones that entered Lithuanian territory were initially headed toward one of the Ukrainian cities, but changed course due to the work of Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. This was stated by Commander of the Armed Forces of Lithuania General Raimundas Vaikšnoras in an interview with LRT, reports UNN.
Details
According to him, the Lithuanian military reached final conclusions regarding the drones’ origin and route approximately two months after the incidents.
These were Russian "Gerbera" drones that had a clear objective of flying to a certain Ukrainian city, but Ukrainian electronic warfare systems redirected them, and they flew across the whole of Belarus
Lithuania is strengthening its air defense due to the drone threat
The commander emphasized that Lithuania considers any unauthorized drone to be a violation of its airspace, regardless of its origin.
After the incidents, the country began strengthening its air defense. According to Vaikšnoras, as part of Operation "Vilnius Shield," some very-short-range air defense systems were replaced with medium-range systems that have better capabilities for detecting and engaging such targets.
At the same time, the commander acknowledged that Lithuania is currently unable to fully cover its entire territory against threats of this kind. The country is purchasing additional radars and other means of detecting and destroying aerial targets.