The drone that flew almost a kilometer into Lithuania from Belarusian territory caused concern and initially various versions were expressed – it was described as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an airplane model and a homemade drone, and even appeared to be labeled an “unknown flying object”.
On the evening of the 10th of July, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė confirmed that the crashed object was a Russian drone Gerbera. These drones were first observed in Ukraine last year. Since then, Ukrainian forces have begun to perceive it as a decoy that imitates the Shaded drones, and their main task is to confuse and overload air defense systems. According to the Ukrainian intelligence service, Gerbera is about ten times cheaper than Shaded, mainly because it is made of plywood and foam. This is how the downed object was described by Lithuanian authorities, who initially believed it to be a homemade drone.
According to sources in Ukraine, Gerbera can also carry explosives. In November 2024, the Ukrainian intelligence service reported that Russian drones can carry between three and five kilograms of explosives. The latest Shaded models are capable of lifting up to 90 kilograms of explosives.
It is not known how or why the drone ended up in Lithuanian airspace. The Lithuanian Armed Forces have indicated that these drones can also be used as targets during military exercises. Army spokesman Gintautas Ciunis told reporters that
there are various possibilities – espionage, testing the reaction of the armed forces, and it could just be a training target
that has deviated from its course. Authorities are investigating all versions.
Meanwhile, several international media outlets report that Lithuania was unable to identify the Gerbera in time and respond appropriately. Criticism has also been expressed by Arūnas Kumpis, a Lithuanian volunteer in Ukraine and an expert on drones, who pointed out that there is no way to know what the drone’s cargo is, and it could also have contained explosives.
In turn, the Minister of Defense said on LRT Radio on the 10th of July that the reaction depends on whether the country is in a state of war. She pointed out that it is one thing to respond to a coincidence or provocation, and quite another to act in the event of an invasion and a real threat.
In Latvia, a Shaded drone crashed in the middle of a field in September 2024. At that time, both Latvia and NATO were criticized for their late reaction to a potentially dangerous violation of airspace.
Former Ukrainian Air Force officer Anatoliy Khrapchynsky pointed out that the most effective way to combat such drones is electronic interference. He added that Ukraine and the Baltic states should join forces to protect their airspace; intelligence capabilities also need to be strengthened.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2606122/russian-drone-crashed-in-lithuania-what-you-should-know
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