President: Radars Must Be Integrated Into National Defense System As Soon As Possible

President Gitanas Nausėda has issued a clear and urgent call for the swift integration of new radar systems into Lithuania's national defense infrastructure. Speaking to LRT television, the President emphasized that this is not a matter for the distant future, but a critical necessity that should have been addressed already. "We have to talk not about tomorrow or the day after, we have to talk about what should have been done yesterday," Nausėda stated, underscoring the immediate threat posed by modern warfare, including drones that "just fly now."

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They (radars) must be integrated as soon as possible, because we must talk not about tomorrow or the day after, we must talk about what should have been done yesterday, but, as often happens, those supply deadlines were not met. Life does not wait for us, drones do not wait for us to sort things out here, they just fly now.

The urgency of the situation was underscored by a recent incident where a drone entered Lithuanian airspace. While NATO fighter jets were scrambled in response, the drone was not shot down. The President explained that pilots operate under strict instructions, and without visual confirmation or a direct threat to life, a missile is not launched. In this instance, heavy cloud cover prevented visual contact, leading to the decision not to engage. This incident, while concerning, highlights the complex protocols governing air defense and the challenges of identifying and neutralizing aerial threats in real-time, especially under adverse conditions.

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Yes, the public has questions why it (the drone) was not destroyed. Pilots have their instructions. These are professional pilots and they have instructions that if visual contact with that unmanned aircraft is not established, a missile is not launched.

President Nausėda also offered a perspective on the increasing number of drones losing orientation and entering the airspace of Baltic countries, Finland, and Poland. He suggested that these stray aircraft are likely a secondary consequence of Ukraine's intensified air attacks against Russia. "It is very likely that this is a consequence of intensified Ukrainian air attacks against Russia," he noted, explaining that these drones, originally intended for other purposes, may be deviating from their course. He was quick to add that Ukraine, as the victim of Russian aggression, has every right to defend itself by all available means, absolving Ukraine of blame for these unintended incursions.

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It is very likely that this is a consequence of intensified Ukrainian air attacks against Russia. Simply, these drones deviate from their course, they reach the most geographically probable places, starting from Finland and going south through the Baltic states and also Poland. So, this is a secondary, side effect of the war in Ukraine.