Lithuania Explained Why They Didn't Shoot Down The "Gerbera" Flying From Belarus

• 11.07.2025, 20:31

The sanction to strike is given personally by the Secretary of Defense.

Lithuanian air defense forces did not shoot down the Russian drone "Gerbera", because in peacetime air objects are shot down only in exceptional cases. The sanction for the strike is given personally by the defense minister.

This is reported in an official statement of the Lithuanian army, which was published by the LRT.

"In peacetime, the destruction of air objects is carried out only in absolutely exceptional cases. Civilized countries do not shoot down objects that do not pose a threat, even if they have violated a state border," the military said in a statement.

In peacetime, airspace is managed by civilian agencies. The Lithuanian Air Force's Airspace Surveillance and Control Department controls and monitors the air over the country.

The military can only shoot down aerial targets if objects in the air threaten national security, or critical infrastructure. Several people can make the decision:

Lithuanian Defense Minister, or a person to whom he delegated authority - if the army is involved;

NATO Air Force Command (AIRCOM) - if fighters of the air police mission are used for this purpose.

Only after the decision is made is the shooting down carried out. The Lithuanian army assures that the drone did not threaten people's lives or critical objects, otherwise it would have been shot down.

Reminder that on July 10, Lithuania raised fighter jets because of an unknown drone from Belarus. Because of the threat, the country's leadership moved to take cover. The unknown drone went down a kilometer from the Belarusian border, near the closed Shumsk checkpoint.

Later, Lithuanian National Defense Minister Dovile Shakalene confirmed that it was a Russian Gerbera drone - a decoy drone without combat, designed to distract air defense. How it managed to fly to Lithuanian territory via Ukraine and Belarus has not yet been established.