Russia Claims Baltic States Aid Ukraine Drone Attacks; Lithuania: Disinformation

Several drone crashes were reported in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia late last month, with investigations revealing the drones belonged to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has apologized to the relevant countries for the drones entering Baltic airspace, suggesting they might have deviated due to interference from Russian electronic warfare systems. Lithuanian military officials stated that recent Russian and Belarusian messaging falsely claims Baltic states have officially agreed to allow Ukraine to use their airspace for drone attacks, a narrative widely spread from social media to high-level Russian officials. The military emphasized that such messages demonstrate Russia's coordinated information warfare actions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mentioned on the 6th that Russia had issued warnings to Baltic states regarding these situations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had also made similar remarks recently. The Lithuanian military asserted that these statements constitute proactive information operations targeting Lithuania and its allies, carrying an explicit threat. Their aim is to apply pressure by implying Russia might shoot down targets in Baltic airspace or launch attacks on related national territories. The military further noted that intimidation, threats of force, red lines, and ultimatums are propaganda tactics repeatedly used by Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, intended to weaken societal defense morale and reduce support for strengthening national defense and aid to Ukraine. According to LRT reports, Latvia has already labeled Russia's claims as a disinformation campaign and lodged a protest with Moscow. Estonia has directly denied the accusations.