VILNIUS, July 10 (Reuters) – An unmanned aircraft built from plywood and foam flew into NATO member Lithuania from Belarus and crashed, causing alarm before authorities determined it was not dangerous, Lithuanian officials said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and Speaker of the Parliament Saulius Skvernelis were briefly brought to bomb shelters in response to the object entering Lithuanian airspace, according to their spokespersons.
NATO Baltic Air Policing jets were dispatched to the area but were recalled after the object fell to the ground around 1 km (0.6 miles) from the border, armed forces spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis told a press conference.
“The object does not pose any danger now, but we don’t yet know what was its purpose,” he said. Investigations were continuing to determine what it was for and where it came from.
Lithuania’s defence ministry said in a statement the object appeared to be “homemade”.
Images and a video shared by the army showed a winged device resembling a small airplane lying on grass. Its body was cut open in two places, revealing a wooden interior compartment with wiring inside.
An emailed border guard statement said a preliminary assessment was that it was made of plywood and foam, and that there were no indications it was carrying anything.
In September last year, a Russian military drone carrying explosives likely to have been intended for use in Ukraine crashed in Latvia some 90 km (60 miles) from the border with Belarus.
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