Drone Downed Over Lithuania Carried No Explosives, Defence Minister Says, as NATO Investigation Continues

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas announced on the afternoon of 15 September that a drone shot down overnight by a NATO fighter jet over southern Lithuania appears not to have contained any explosives, contradicting earlier reports from bomb disposal experts who said they neutralised an explosive device at the crash site.

“It appears that the drone did not contain explosives, but these are very, very early reports that are still being confirmed,” Kaunas told LRT, Lithuania’s national public broadcaster Source 1. He added that parts and debris have been collected and a wider search for fragments is under way.

The incident began shortly after midnight on 15 September, when an unidentified drone crossed into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus. A NATO patrol mission fighter jet—identified by Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto as an Italian aircraft—shot it down over the southern region of the country Source 3. Crosetto stated the drone “probably originated from Russia.”

Earlier in the day, Kaunas had reported that Lithuanian bomb disposal experts found and neutralised an explosive device at the crash site Source 2. “We discussed this situation in detail with Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto. The minister expressed his strong support for the security of our region,” Kaunas said at the time. The discrepancy between the initial bomb disposal report and the later assessment that the drone itself carried no explosives remains unexplained. Open questions include whether the device was separate ordnance or whether the initial assessment was incorrect.

Kaunas stressed that the type of drone and its origin are not yet confirmed. “It is not yet clear what type of drone it is… Only then will it be possible to assess whether this was a Russian drone and a possible provocation, or a drone from another country, say, a defensive drone. For now, we should not rush to conclusions,” he said Source 1.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Lithuania will issue a formal note to Belarus over the violation of its airspace Source 2. The incident is the first known case of a NATO fighter jet shooting down a drone over a member state’s territory since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It comes amid heightened vigilance along NATO’s eastern flank, where airspace violations by drones and missiles have become more frequent.

Kaunas said the response demonstrated NATO’s ability to act swiftly. “This incident showed that we are able to act in a coordinated way, as one team. We are able to respond in time, make the necessary decisions and neutralise objects that have entered Lithuanian territory, thereby ensuring the safety of our citizens,” he said Source 1.

The ongoing investigation will attempt to reconstruct the drone’s flight path and determine its payload. For now, the absence of explosives on the drone itself suggests the possibility of reconnaissance or provocation rather than a direct kinetic attack. The matter is likely to be discussed at the next NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting.