Lithuania rejects Belarusian accusations over supposed inaction on "Ukrainian drone"
Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has rejected accusations from Belarus's Foreign Ministry that a Ukrainian drone violated Belarusian airspace from Lithuanian territory.
Source: Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Details: Belarus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Lithuania's chargé d'affaires in Minsk on 21 May after claiming that a Ukrainian Chaika drone was detected near the village of Stanislavtsi in Vitebsk Oblast on 17 May.
The Belarusians claimed that the drone was flying to strike Russian territory but crossed into Belarus from Lithuania.
Minsk reproached Lithuania for failing to take appropriate measures to prevent the drone from entering Belarusian territory, including failing to notify Belarusian military forces of the threat.
Lithuania's Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the claim that a Ukrainian strike drone entered Belarusian airspace from the Lithuanian side.
"The very fact that the Belarusian MFA handed a note on this issue to our Chargé d'Affaires in Minsk is direct proof of Belarusian complicity not only in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, but now also in Russia's information attack against Lithuania and other Baltic states," the ministry responded.
They added that Minsk's claims are "nonsense".
"In literature, there is a genre called 'nonsense literature'. Its main feature is that the content must be detached from reality. The more, the better. Bravo, Belarus MFA, good try!" Lithuania's foreign policy ministry added.
Background:
- On Thursday, Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires to deliver a note of protest regarding a disinformation campaign directed against the Baltic states.
- On 19 May, Latvia's Foreign Ministry summoned a Russian diplomat over disinformation claiming that Latvia was allowing its territory to be used by Ukraine for drone attacks against Russia.
- Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, criticised Russia's threats towards the Baltic states, describing Moscow's accusations as "utter nonsense" and a sign of weakness.
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