Lithuania may have become the target of a Russian underwater drone, right off its own coast. In early August, near the resort town of Nida, the drone likely entered Lithuanian territorial waters from the direction of Russia, Delfi reports.

Locals noticed the unusual behavior of a border patrol boat. A coast guard vessel was seen chasing an unidentified object in the Curonian Lagoon, an area where active operations are rarely conducted.

Underwater provocation near Nida

Aistė Žalneraitienė, senior specialist at the State Border Guard Service, confirmed the incident: on 2 August, a suspicious object was indeed detected in the reported place and is currently being examined by the Criminal Investigation Department.

Preliminary assessments suggest the drone may have been launched from Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast, which is one of the main hubs of Russian military activity near NATO borders.

“Gerbera” strikes again

This is not the first incident involving Russian unmanned systems in Lithuania. On 1 August, debris from a Gerbera drone, widely used in Ukraine’s war, was found at the Gaižiūnai military training ground in the Jonava District. The drone was likely launched from Belarus. The incident was confirmed by Lithuania’s Minister of National Defense, Dovilė Šakalienė.

A week earlier, another drone of the same type crashed near the closed Šumskas border checkpoint, almost directly on the Belarusian border.

In July, a Russian drone also violated Lithuanian airspace near Vilnius. It flew at an altitude of 200 meters and remained in Lithuanian airspace for about half an hour.

Following this series of violations, Lithuanian armed forces will implement additional security measures.

Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Head, Sergey Naryshkin, warned that Poland and the Baltic states would be the first to suffer in the event of a war between Moscow and NATO. In 2025, Russia plans to train and station up to 150,000 additional troops in Belarus.

According to media reports, at least 96 Russian drones violated Belarusian airspace in July, marking the heaviest month of drone incursions so far. These Russian long-range drones came from Ukraine and crossed into Belarus skies repeatedly during the month, with one night alone seeing 26 of them entering.

96 Russian drones in Belarus create record month of incursions

Belsat reported that in the early hours of 30 July, at least 26 Russian Shahed drones flew into Belarus airspace. According to the Homiel-based news site Flagshtok, this pushed the July total to at least 96 drones. The figure set a new record, with previous months showing far fewer flights. Flagstok said the last peak was in January, but July exceeded it.

Reports described how late in the evening on that day, observers noticed three drones near Khoiniki and Naroulia. Two of them moved toward Brahin. Later, five more drones were seen heading toward Brahin and further toward Ukraine’s Zhytomyr Oblast. Another three drones appeared over Homiel Oblast. One flew over Mazyr, while another was heard south of Homiel. Drones also appeared in the areas of Naroulia and Loieu. Witnesses said the sound of their engines was clearly heard during the night.

On 29 July, one of the Russian drones fell on the outskirts of Minsk. Authorities in Belarus admitted the crash but claimed that the drone was allegedly Ukrainian. This version was met with doubt because witnesses said the drone came from the direction of Russia. BELPOL, citing witnesses, reported that the drone engine noise was heard in Astrashytski Haradok and Baravliany, both located north of Minsk.

Belsat said that in all of 2023, at least 145 Russian Shahed drones entered Belarus. Of those, 109 disappeared from radars, while 36 continued toward Ukraine.