Иллюстративное фото: facebook.com/kariuomene
In Utena and Panevėžys counties, searches continued on Saturday for objects believed to be drones that were detected by radar on Thursday. The operation involves the Military Police, Land Forces and the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, LRT reports, citing ELTA.
“Residents are being interviewed, and unmanned aerial vehicles and light aircraft are also being used to reconnoitre various areas,” the Strategic Communications Department of the Lithuanian Armed Forces said.
On Thursday, an air alert was declared in Utena County after radar systems detected an object displaying characteristics of a drone. Later, the National Crisis Management Centre reported another similar radar track. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed that both disappeared in the area of Utena.
According to the Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas, the tracks were detected by Air Force radar systems. NATO Air Policing mission fighter jets were scrambled. About an hour later, the threat level in Utena County was reduced from red to yellow and then to white, indicating no threat.
A similar incident occurred on Wednesday. After a radar track was detected near the border, NATO fighter jets were scrambled, airspace over Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed and train traffic in Vilnius County was suspended. The object crossed the border at around 9:40 a.m., but disappeared from radar near Merkinė at approximately 11:09 a.m. Searches in Varėna District, where the drone was believed to have crashed, yielded no results and were later suspended.