Lithuania Does Not Rule Out ‘False Flag’ in Latvia Drone Incident

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius stated on August 14 that the notion of a "false flag" operation behind a recently shot down drone over Latvia cannot be entirely dismissed. In an interview with LNK žinios, Sinkevičius clarified that no concrete evidence has been uncovered to support this theory, as the downed aircraft remains unrecovered. "The downed drone has not yet been found. I think it will be found soon, and then it will become clear what kind of aircraft it is and who it belongs to," he said.

The prime minister did not rule out the possibility of a "false flag" operation, stating, "What you are talking about cannot be ruled out, but so far there is no confirmation of this." The comments from Sinkevičius followed warnings from the Lithuanian government regarding potential regional threats. Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas had previously stated that intelligence services in Lithuania had received information suggesting that Russia was considering possible provocations in the Baltic region.

Kaunas warned that Moscow might employ captured Ukrainian drones for such operations, aiming to create the false impression of Ukrainian involvement and undermine Western support for Kyiv. The Lithuanian Defense Minister noted that Russia had not yet made a definitive decision to carry out these actions or set a specific timeline.

In a related development, the Latvian military reported on August 14 that fighter jets involved in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission successfully intercepted an unidentified drone that had entered Latvian airspace. This interception came amid heightened unauthorized drone activity in the region. On the same day, neighboring Finland implemented temporary aviation and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland, described by Finnish defense forces as a precautionary measure to safeguard bystanders and maintain operational readiness against potential drone threats.