Overview
- On August 5, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė sent a joint letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte requesting immediate reinforcement of Lithuania’s air defences and accelerated rotational deployments.
- The appeal follows two Gerbera UAV incursions from Belarus—one on July 10 that posed no threat and another on July 28 that crashed in a military training area with a 2 kg explosives payload.
- Defence Minister Šakalienė said the July 28 drone was likely intended for Ukraine but became disoriented after encountering Ukrainian air defences.
- Lithuanian Army chief of staff Dainius Paskevicius confirmed the recovered drone was a wooden Gerbera copy of Iran’s Shahed kamikaze munition used by Russian forces.
- NATO has said Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Grynkewich can enact necessary measures and that allies are expanding detection and counter-drone capabilities.