Priority is to locate drone quickly, duration of search unclear – Lithuanian defense chief

VILNIUS – The Lithuanian Armed Forces' top priority is to locate the unmanned aerial vehicle that may have entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on Monday, but it is unclear how long the search will continue, Chief of Defense General Raimundas Vaiksnoras said on Tuesday.

"We want to find it as soon as possible, but of course, there's a reasonable timeframe. (...) Other scenarios are being considered, but right now our focus is on locating it," Vaiksnoras told reporters.

"The search area is being narrowed, but it's still hard to say – this is only the second day we've been looking for the object," he added.

Vaiksnoras said it is important to locate the drone because the potential threat it poses remains unknown.

"The aim is to find it as soon as possible, (...) because we don't know what we're dealing with – whether it's dangerous or not. It's about protecting people's health and lives," he said.

The general also urged the public to immediately report the drone to the authorities if found, but under no circumstances to take any action themselves.

The drone believed to have crossed into Lithuania on Monday has not yet been found. The Lithuanian Armed Forces resumed their search Tuesday morning.

Residents alerted authorities early on Monday morning after being woken by noise, although Vaiksnoras told reporters later in the day that the military had already tracked the object approaching from Belarusian territory.

It remains unclear whether the object spotted by residents was the same object previously detected by the military.

This is the second time this month that an unmanned aerial vehicle has been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus.