Ukrainian aide says Baltic drone crashes could be Russian provocations

VILNIUS - Ukrainian President aide Mykhailo Podolyak said on Friday that investigations will determine whether drones that crashed in the Baltic states this week were Ukrainian, adding that Russia often uses such incidents for provocations.

"Standard investigative steps must be taken, fragments collected, and the origin identified. It is clear that Ukraine strikes with long-range drones, and there may be changes in trajectories. But, again, this is only one version," Podolyak told the Delfi news portal.

"Our intelligence says that Russia often uses provocative actions when attacking certain ports, sending its drones to cause tension or escalation pressure on the territory of other countries," he added.

Podolyak could not confirm whether Ukraine is participating in the investigations but said he believes relevant agencies are exchanging information and will "soon find points of mutual understanding."

Three drones flew over or crashed in the Baltic states this week. Officials suspect they were Ukrainian drones targeting Russia that were diverted or downed by electronic warfare measures. Baltic authorities said the incidents were linked to Russia's full-scale war of aggression and warned that similar events could recur.

On Monday morning, a drone crashed on the frozen Lake Lavysas in Lithuania's Varena district near the Belarusian border.

In Latvia on Wednesday morning, one drone from Russia exploded in the Kraslava municipality, while another briefly entered Latvian airspace from Belarus before heading toward Russia. On the same day, a drone from Russian airspace entered northeastern Estonia and struck a chimney at the Auvere power plant.