Lithuania says a suspected drone enters its airspace, crashes into lake near Belarus

VILNIUS, March 23 (Reuters) – Lithuania’s army said on Monday that a suspected drone had entered the country’s airspace and crashed into an ice-covered lake some 20 km (12 miles) from the border of Belarus.

Debris found around a hole in the ice was believed to be from a drone, an army spokesperson said.

Night-time security camera footage published by Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT included about 40 seconds of buzzing sound followed by a loud blast, with what appeared to be pieces of flaming debris seen flying upwards.

“We are very close to Belarus… The most likely assumption is it came from this country”, army spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis said.

No explosives had been found at the lake, he said.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene has called a National Security Commision consultation for Tuesday to discuss the incident.

Lithuania last year asked NATO for more air defences after military drones from Belarus landed on its territory twice in July 2025.

Lithuanian intelligence said earlier this month that both drones had entered Lithuania accidentally.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editig by Terje Solsvik)