Budrys: Russia’s Operations Against NATO Are Becoming More Likely

The risk of Russian kinetic operations against NATO countries is growing, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said, pointing to a drone incident in Germany involving explosives and a detonator.

Speaking at a meeting of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction in Lithuania’s parliament, Budrys said the nature of the operations had not changed. He described them as dangerous actions that could involve explosives and cited events at Leipzig-Halle Airport on August 4.

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The overall trend regarding kinetic operations by Russia against NATO countries is growing, and we can see that.

That evening, a drone carrying explosives and a detonator was found in a security area among Ukrainian cargo aircraft. A second unidentified flying object later collided with a DHL cargo plane. The aircraft could not land because the runway had been closed and had to abort its approach. German investigators later found a third drone.

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We have also had attempts with a similar pattern in Lithuania, I should remind you, several years ago. Clearly, this is continuing.

Germany formally said on Tuesday that it held Russia responsible for the August 4 incident and announced sanctions. Budrys said Lithuania had faced attempts with a similar pattern several years ago, adding that such activity was continuing.

Budrys said Germany’s attribution reflected intelligence and evidence, not merely a political decision. He also welcomed Berlin’s decision to expand the powers of its intelligence and security agencies, saying this could strengthen those institutions. At the same time, he rejected the claim that NATO had failed to deter Russian actions, citing incidents along the eastern border, in Poland and damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. “NATO worked successfully, and I can assess that it also acted preventively,” he said.

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NATO worked successfully, and I can assess that it also acted preventively.