Lithuania has warned that Russia could be considering an attack or sabotage operation against Poland or the Baltic states using a fake Ukrainian drone, in an attempt to shift attention away from the war in Ukraine and undermine Western support for Kyiv.
Leaders from Poland and the three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have raised concerns over the possibility of Russian attempts to create a security incident that could be blamed on Ukraine.
“We are talking about a false-flag operation, using a fake Ukrainian drone. One of the goals is to shake NATO and reduce support for Ukraine. I can assure you that this will not happen,” Lithuanian officials said.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said in July that intelligence indicated Russia could be planning attacks against infrastructure, prompting authorities to strengthen security around energy and transportation facilities.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the warnings at the time as “scare stories” intended to justify militarization directed against Russia.
Poland and the Baltic states, all NATO members bordering Russia, have been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Their governments have repeatedly accused Moscow of using threatening rhetoric and hybrid tactics to intimidate European countries and weaken support for Kyiv.
Military drones launched from Ukraine to strike targets in Russia have already entered the airspace of Finland and the Baltic states in recent months. Kyiv has said some of these incidents were caused by Russian electronic warfare systems that interfere with or spoof navigation signals.
Russia, meanwhile, has accused the Baltic states of cooperating with Ukraine by allowing Kyiv to use their airspace to conduct attacks against Russian targets. The Baltic governments and Ukraine have rejected those allegations.
The warnings come amid heightened concern across NATO’s eastern flank over the possibility of sabotage, drone incursions and other forms of hybrid warfare linked to the war in Ukraine.
