
Intelligence officials in Lithuania believe that Russia may use previously captured Ukrainian-made drones to stage provocations against the Baltic countries.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said on Thursday that Moscow could stage a so-called "false flag" operation, where an attack would be made to appear to have been carried out by Ukraine.
"This is a false flag operation, using a fake Ukrainian drone. One of the goals is for NATO to lose trust and reduce support for Ukraine," Kaunas said, adding that this will not affect the alliance's stance.
Poland and the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have previously warned that Russia may attempt attacks or acts of sabotage against them, with the aim of distracting attention from the war in Ukraine and weakening international support for Kiev.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said in July that intelligence services had signals of possible preparations for attacks on critical infrastructure. As a precaution, authorities have strengthened security around energy and transport facilities.
Russia has denied the allegations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called them “fear stories” that he said were used to justify militarization against Russia. The Baltic states and Poland, all NATO members and bordering Russia, are among Ukraine’s strongest supporters. They have accused Moscow of using threatening rhetoric to intimidate them.
Meanwhile, military drones that have been launched from Ukraine towards targets in Russia have also entered the airspace of Finland and the Baltic countries in recent months.
Ukraine has said the incidents were caused by Russian electronic interference that disrupted or altered the drones' signals. Russia has accused the Baltic states of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to attack Russian targets. These accusations have been denied by Ukraine and the Baltic states.